Centaur
E52126
Centaur is a pioneering high-energy rocket upper stage developed by the United States, notable for its use of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to boost payloads into high orbits and interplanetary trajectories.
Observed surface forms (6)
| Surface form | As subject | As object |
|---|---|---|
| Centaur D | 0 | 1 |
| Centaur D-1T | 0 | 1 |
| Centaur G | 0 | 1 |
| Centaur II | 0 | 1 |
| Centaur III | 0 | 1 |
| Centaur family | 0 | 1 |
Statements (52)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
cryogenic rocket stage
→
rocket upper stage → |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
→
surface form:
United States
|
| designEvolution |
Centaur
self-linksurface differs
→
surface form:
Centaur D
Centaur self-linksurface differs →
surface form:
Centaur G
Centaur self-linksurface differs →
surface form:
Centaur II
Centaur self-linksurface differs →
surface form:
Centaur III
Vulcan Centaur →
surface form:
Centaur V
|
| designGoal | provide high delta-v for upper-stage missions → |
| developedBy |
Convair
→
General Dynamics → NASA → United States Air Force → |
| engineManufacturer | Aerojet Rocketdyne → |
| engineType | RL10 → |
| firstFlightDate | 1962-05-08 → |
| firstFlightVehicle | Atlas LV-3C Centaur → |
| fuelTankMaterial | stainless steel → |
| guidanceSystem | inertial guidance → |
| manufacturer |
General Dynamics
→
Lockheed Martin → United Launch Alliance → |
| notableFeature |
first operational cryogenic upper stage
→
pioneering use of liquid hydrogen fuel → |
| operator | United Launch Alliance → |
| orbitCapability |
Earth escape trajectories
→
low Earth orbit to geostationary transfer orbit → |
| oxidizerType | liquid oxygen → |
| primaryFunction |
boosting payloads onto interplanetary trajectories
→
boosting payloads to high Earth orbits → high-energy upper stage for orbital insertion → |
| propellantType | liquid hydrogen → |
| propulsionType | liquid-fueled rocket engine → |
| status | operational → |
| tankDesign | pressure-stabilized balloon tank → |
| typicalMissions |
geostationary transfer orbit insertion
→
high-energy Earth escape missions → planetary probe injection → |
| usedForMission |
Cassini–Huygens
→
surface form:
Cassini–Huygens mission
Mars orbiter and lander missions → New Horizons →
surface form:
New Horizons mission
Pioneer planetary missions → Surveyor lunar lander launches → Voyager program →
surface form:
Voyager missions
|
| usedOnLaunchVehicle |
Atlas II
→
Atlas III → Atlas V → Atlas-Centaur → Titan IIIE → Titan IV → Vulcan Centaur → |
| usesPropellantCombination | liquid hydrogen–liquid oxygen → |
Referenced by (11)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Centaur D
this entity surface form:
Centaur G
this entity surface form:
Centaur II
this entity surface form:
Centaur III
this entity surface form:
Centaur family
this entity surface form:
Centaur D-1T