Athena (rocket)

Infobox rocket

---

caption = Athena II with Lunar Prospector
name = Athena
function = Small, modular component launch vehicle
manufacturer = Lockheed Martin
country-origin = United States
height = 19.8 - 30.48 m
alt-height = 65 - 100 ft
diameter = 2.36 m
alt-diameter = 92 in
mass = 66,344 - 120,202 kg
alt-mass = 146,264 - 265,000 lb
stages = 2 or 3
LEO-payload = 794 - 1,896 kg
alt-LEO = 1,750 - 4,350 lb
status = Retired [ [http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/athena1.htm Astronautix - Athena-1] ]
sites = Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 46,
Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 6,
Kodiak Launch Complex 1
launches = 7
For breakdown by variant, see text.
Launch data. [ [http://www.astronautix.com/lvfam/mx.htm Encyclopedia Astronautica: "MX - Athena I,II"] ]
success = 6
fail = 1
partial =
first=August 1995
last=
payloads = Lunar Prospector
boosters =
diff =
boostername =
boosterengines =
boosterthrust =
alt-boosterthrust =
boostertime =
boosterSI =
boosterfuel =
alt-boosters =
alt-diff =
alt-boostername =
alt-boosterengines =
alt-boosterthrust =
alt-alt-boosterthrust =
alt-boostertime =
alt-boosterSI =
alt-boosterfuel =
stage1name = Castor-120
stage1engines = 1
stage1thrust = 1,900 kN
alt-stage1thrust = 435,000 lb_f
stage1time = 83.4 seconds
stage1SI = 280 seconds
stage1fuel = Class 1.3 Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB-a polymer) propellant
stage2name = ORBUS 21D
stage2engines = 1
stage2thrust = 194 kN
alt-stage2thrust = 43,723 lb_f
stage2time = 150 seconds
stage2SI = 293 seconds
stage2fuel = Class 1.3 Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB-a polymer) propellant

The Athena rocket is a Lockheed Martin launch vehicle. It has undergone several name changes in its lifetime. Initially developed in 1993 as the Lockheed Launch Vehicle (LLV) at its inception at the Lockheed Corporation, the name was changed to the Lockheed Martin Launch Vehicle when its developing company merged with Martin Marietta. Late in the program's life the name was finally changed to the current name of Athena.

Variants

The Athena comes in two versions, Athena I and Athena II. The Athena I has two stages, the Thiokol Castor-120 first stage and a Pratt & Whitney ORBUS 21D upper stage. The Athena II has three stages, the Castor-120 first and second stages, and an ORBUS 21D upper stage.

The Athena rocket uses the Primex TechnologiesFact|date=January 2008 Orbit Adjust Module (OAM). The OAM houses the attitude control system and avionics subsystem (guidance and navigation, batteries, telemetry transmitters, command and destruct receivers and antennas). This 1 meter (3.3 ft) long module is fueled with monopropellant hydrazine. After payload separation, the OAM performs a contamination and collision avoidance maneuver, distancing itself from the payload and burning any remaining fuel to depletion.

An Athena III rocket was planned, but never developed. It was to add two, four or six Castor-4A strap-on boosters to the stack.

Launches

* DLV - The Demonstration Launch Vehicle (DLV) was launched in August 1995.
* Lewis - An Athena I launched the NASA Lewis satellite on Aug. 22, 1997.
* Lunar Prospector - An Athena II launched NASA's Lunar Prospector on Jan. 6, 1998. [ [http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/1999/99-119.txt NASA: "Lunar Prospector" 1998] ]
* ROCSAT-1 - An Athena I launched ROCSAT-1 for the Republic of China (Taiwan) on Jan. 26, 1999.
* IKONOS-1 - An Athena II launched IKONOS-1, a commercial earth observation satellite, on April 27, 1999. (Failed to orbit) [ [http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/1999/LOCKHEEDMARTINATHENALAUNCHOFIKONOSS.html Lockheed Martin: IKONOS Fails - Press Release 1999] ]
* IKONOS-2 - An Athena II launched IKONOS-2, a commercial earth observation satellite, on Sept. 24, 1999.
* Kodiak Star - An Athena launched Kodiak Star for NASA and the Space Test Program on Sept. 30, 2001. [ [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/payload/missions/kodiakstar/ NASA: "Kodiak Star" 2001] ]

References

* [http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2001/LockheedMartinAthenaILaunchVehicleS.html Lockheed Martin: "Athena Overview"]

External links

* [http://www.lockheedmartin.com/index.html Lockheed-Martin] official page
* [http://www.astronautix.com/lvfam/mx.htm Encyclopedia Astronautica]

ee also

* OSCAR
* UO-11
* UoSAT-12 satellite