Atlas V
The need to replace the aging ICBM based launch vehicles brought together the Titan IV and Atlas III teams to design a new rocket. The Atlas V (BDB Muo) is what they came up with. The 1.875m core found on Atlas and Titan is widened to 2.5m and powered by the advanced RD-180 engine tested on the Atlas III. The pressurised balloon tanks found on the old Atlas are replaced with a stronger aluminium isogrid structure. Up to 5 AJ-60A solid rocket boosters may be attached giving 6 launch configurations. Both 2.5 meter and 3.5 meter fairings are available.
Atlas V versions are referred to by a 3 digit number. The first digit is the fairing size, 4 for 2.5m and 5 for 3.5m (4m and 5m in real life). The second digit is the number of boosters, 0-5. The third digit is the number of engines on the Centaur, typically 1. An Atlas V 551 would be a 3.5m fairing, 5 AJ-60A's, and a Single Engine Centaur (SEC).
Tags: Muo, Inon
| Launch Vehicle | First Stage | Boosters | Second Stage | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas V 4x1 | 0-3x AJ-60A | Inon III SEC | 2.5m Interstage & Fairing on Centaur | |
| Atlas V 5x1 | 0-5x AJ-60A | Inon III SEC | Single Engine Centaur inside 3.5m Fairing | |
| Atlas V Heavy | 2x CCB | Inon III DEC | Dual Engine Centaur |
From top to bottom
The 400 and 500 series typically use a Single Engine Centaur III (Common Centaur) as the second stage, though Dual Engine Centaur is available with the regular Inon Engine Mounting Plate. Use tweakables to switch the the Inon 1.875m Interstage to the truss variant.
- Centaur III (Common Centaur)
The Common Core Booster (CCB) consists of three parts: the upper and lower tanks and the engine. The RD-180 engine has multiple meshes. The 2.5 meter with pipe is used on Atlas V. 6 Star-5F retro motors should be placed on the intertank, aligning the nozzles with the shrouds modelled into the lower core tank.
There are five AJ-60A mounting positions around the base of the core. Align the bottom pin on the booster with the holes on the core. Due to the asymmetric layout of the boosters they should be place either singly or in pairs using mirror symmetry mode. Holding down the shift key will allow finer placement using angle snap.
To minimise the destablising effect of the asymmetric layout, the core should be rotated so the side with the most boosters is on top when in flight.
The Atlas V Heavy consists of three Common Core Boosters strapped together with a Dual Engine Centaur second stage under a 3.5m fairing
Atlas V 551 and 411
Atlas V 401 with MAVEN (Mars Scout 2)