The Titan IV family (including the IVA and IVB) of space boosters are used by the US Air Force. They are launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

Two more launches are scheduled before being retired, NET April (B-30) at CCAFS and mid-July (B-26) at VAFB 2005.[1]

Features

The Titan IVB is the most recent and largest unmanned space booster used by the Air Force. It provides assured capability for launch of space shuttle-class payloads. The vehicle is flexible in that it can be launched with no upper stage, or one of two upper stages. These are the IUS (Inertial Upper Stage), and the Centaur Upper Stage.

The Titan IVB consists of a two-stage, liquid-fueled core and two large solid rocket boosters. It is launched on the solids; the liquid core ignites about 2 minutes into flight.

The Titan IVB core consists of an LR87 liquid-propellant rocket that features structurally independent tanks for its fuel (Aerozine 50) and oxidizer (nitrogen tetroxide). This minimizes the hazard of the two mixing if a leak should develop in either tank. Additionally the engine propellant can be stored in a launch-ready state for extended periods. The second stage consists of an LR91 liquid propellant rocket engine attached to an airframe, like stage 1. For increased performance Titan IVB also uses two solid propellant strap-on boosters.

The Titan IVB can be launched from either coast. SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station near Cocoa Beach, FL and on the West Coast at SLC-4E, at Vandenberg Air Force Base near San Luis Obispo in California. Choice of what coast to launch on is with respect to mission parameters and spacecraft mission.

Background

The Titan rocket family was established in October 1955 when the Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin (the former Glenn L. Martin Company) a contract to build an intercontinental ballistic missile (SM-68 ). It became known as the Titan I, the nation's first two-stage ICBM and replaced the Atlas ICBM as the second underground vertically stored, silo-based ICBM. Both stages of the Titan I used liquid oxygen and alcohol as propellants. A subsequent version of the Titan family, the Titan II, was similar to the Titan I, but was much more powerful. Designated as LGM-25C, the Titan II was the largest missile at the time, to be developed by the USAF. The Titan II had newly developed engines which used Aerozine 50 and Nitrogen Tetroxide as fuel and oxidizer.

Titan III development began in 1961 with the Titan IIIA. Years later, the Titan IVB evolved from the Titan III family and is similar to the Titan 34D. The last Titan IVA was launched in August 1998. The first Titan IVB flew on Feb. 23, 1997. The Titan IVB is an upgraded rocket having a new guidance system, flight termination system, ground checkout system, solid rocket motor upgrade and a 25 percent increase in thrust capability.

General characteristics

• Primary Function: Space booster
• Builder: Lockheed-Martin Astronautics
• Power Plant:
  • Stage 0 currently consists of two solid-rocket motors.
  • Stage 1 uses an LR87 liquid-propellant rocket engine.
  • Stage 2 uses the LR91 liquid-propellant engine.
  • Optional upper stages include the Centaur and Inertial Upper Stage .
• Guidance System: A ring laser gyro guidance system manufactured by Honeywell.
• Thrust: Solid rocket motors provide 1.7 million pounds force (7.56 MN) per motor at liftoff.
  • First stage provides an average of 548,000 pounds force (2.44 MN)
  • second stage provides an average of 105,000 pounds force (467 kN).
  • Optional Centaur upper stage provides 33,100 pounds force (147 kN) and the Inertial Upper Stage provides up to 41,500 pounds force (185 kN).
• Length: Up to 204 feet (62.17 m)
• Lift Capability:
  • Can carry up to 47,800 pounds (21,682 kg) into a low-earth orbit
  • up to 12,700 pounds (5,761 kg) into a geosynchronous orbit when launched from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla.;
  • and up to 38,800 pounds (17,599 kg) into a low-earth polar orbit when launched from Vandenberg AFB.
  • into geosynchronous orbit:
    • with Centaur upper stage 12,700 lb (5,761 kg)
    • with Inertial Upper Stage 5,250 pounds (2,381 kg)
• Maximum Takeoff Weight: Approximately 2.2 million pounds (1,000,000 kg)
• Cost: Approximately $250-350 million, depending on launch configuration.
• Date deployed: June 1989
• Launch sites: Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

Reference

• USAF Titan IVB Fact Sheet