Centaur is a family of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen upper stages for American launch vehicles, in use since 1962 and the first rocket stage to burn hydrolox propellant. The concept began in 1956, when the Convair division of General Dynamics studied a hydrogen fuelled upper stage, and the project started in 1958 as a joint venture of Convair, the Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Air Force, with NASA taking over the agency's role in 1959. Centaur first flew atop the Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle and later flew on Titan boosters. Today United Launch Alliance builds it as Centaur III on Atlas V and Centaur V on Vulcan Centaur. Thin stainless steel pressure-stabilized tanks and a shared bulkhead save mass, and one or two RL10 engines can restart for long coast phases.
Facts
Engine Class Connections
Exemplifies
Source Centaur (rocket stage) (Wikipedia)
Of Make
Source Centaur (rocket stage) (Wikipedia)
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Manufactured By
Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.
Source Encyclopedia Astronautica: Atlas CentaurChronology, 1958 August 29Quote, Chronology, 1958 August 29
Pratt and Whitney was to develop the liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen engines for the upper stage vehicle to be developed by Convair/Astronautics.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Centaur (rocket stage) (Wikipedia)History, joint ventureQuote, History, joint venture
The ensuing project began in 1958 as a joint venture among Convair, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), and the U.S. Air Force.
Sources
1. Centaur (rocket stage) (Wikipedia)
Lead
The Centaur is a family of rocket-propelled upper stages that has been in use since 1962.
Lead, engine class
The Centaur is a family of rocket-propelled upper stages
Current engines
All versions utilize liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
Characteristics
The main propulsion system consists of one or two RL10 engines made by Aerojet Rocketdyne.
Current versions
As of 2025, two Centaur variants are in use: Centaur III on Atlas V, and Centaur V on Vulcan Centaur.
History, origin
The Centaur concept originated in 1956 when the Convair division of General Dynamics began studying a liquid hydrogen fueled upper stage.
History, joint venture
The ensuing project began in 1958 as a joint venture among Convair, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), and the U.S. Air Force.
Of Make: Convair, History
The Centaur concept originated in 1956 when the Convair division of General Dynamics began studying a liquid hydrogen fueled upper stage.
In Group: Orbital Launch Vehicles, History, Atlas-Centaur
Centaur initially flew as the upper stage of the Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle
Exemplifies: Orbital Spaceflight, Lead, orbital stage
The Centaur is a family of rocket-propelled upper stages that has been in use since 1962.
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