Titan II and Titan IV Processing, Vandenberg AFB!
.
Titan IV, produced and launched for the U.S. Air
Force by Lockheed Martin, is the nation's largest,
most powerful expendable space launch vehicle. It provides primary
access to space for critical
national security and civil payloads and is launched from the
East and West Coasts.
Titan launch systems have a better than (95 percent operational
success rate). "The Last Titan IV
blewup after launch in 1998 from Cape Canaveral."
A Titan IV is capable of placing 47,800 pounds into low-Earth
orbit or more than 12,700 pounds into
geosynchronous orbit - 22,300 miles above the Earth. Titan
IV consists of two solid-propellant stage "O"
motors, a liquid propellant two-stage core and a 16.7-foot-diameter
payload fairing. Upgraded
three-segment solid rocket motors increase the vehicle's payload
capability by approximately 25
percent.
The Titan IV configurations include a cryogenic
Centaur upper stage, a solid-propellant Inertial Upper
Stage (IUS), or no upper stage. Titan IV rockets are launched
from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California,
or Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida.
Titan IV launches from Launch Complex 40 and 41 at Cape
Canaveral Air Station, Florida, and from Space Launch Complex-4E at Vandenberg
Air Force Base, California. Titan IV core vehicle stages are built at Lockheed
Martin's Titan manufacturing facility.
The Air Force is launching an advanced version called
the Titan IV B. The first Titan IV B was successfully flown from Cape Canaveral
Air Station on February 23, 1997. The new configure improves reliability
and operability and increases lift capability by 25%. Advancements also
include improved electronics and guidance. The Titan IV B has new standardized
vehicle interfaces that increase the efficiency of vehicle processing.
Additionally, the new programmable aerospace ground equipment (PAGE) is
used to monitor and control vehicle countdown and launch.
Lockheed Martin provides overall program management, system
integration, and payload integration for the program and builds the first
and second stages and Centaur upper stage of the vehicle. Other members
of
the Titan IV team and their responsibilities are shown on
the following diagram.
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