Manufacturer Martin Marietta Height 42 metres (138 ft) | Country of origin United States Diameter 3.05 metres (10.0 ft) | |
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Function Prototype expendable launch system Mass 161,730 kilograms (356,550 lb) | ||
The Titan IIIA or Titan 3A was an American expendable launch system, launched four times in 1964 and 1965, to test the Transtage upper stage which was intended for use on the larger Titan IIIC. The Transtage was mounted atop two core stages derived from the Titan II. The Titan IIIA was also used as the core of the Titan IIIC.
The Titan IIIA made its maiden flight on 1 September 1964, but the Transtage failed to pressurise, resulting in a premature cutoff, and failure to reach orbit. A second test on 10 December was successful. Two further launches occurred in 1965 with Lincoln Experimental Satellites, before the Titan IIIA was retired.
References
Titan IIIA Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA