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TITAN III-E CENTAUR Fact Sheet
Written and Edited by Cliff Lethbridge

A modified version of the U.S. Air Force Titan III-D, the Titan III-E Centaur was introduced in 1974 to meet the launch requirements for a number of NASA scientific payloads.

While the Titan III-D was a two-stage rocket, the Titan III-E Centaur featured the addition of a Centaur D-1T third stage.

The Centaur D-1T was powered by two Pratt and Whitney engines which burned liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen liquid fuel and could produce a combined thrust of 30,000 pounds.

Two United Technologies solid rocket boosters burned Powered Aluminum/Ammonium Perchlorate solid fuel and produced a combined thrust of 2,361,000 pounds.

The first stage Aerojet dual-chamber first stage engine could produce a 530,000-pound thrust. An Aerojet second stage engine was capable of producing a thrust of 101,000 pounds. The first and second stage engines both burned Aerozine 50/Nitrogen Tetroxide liquid fuel.

The overall vehicle was able to carry a 7,400-pound payload to geostationary transfer orbit, an 8,400-pound payload to a Mars or Venus trajectory or a 500 to 1,750-pound payload on a trajectory to the outer planets.

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© Copyright 1998 by Clifford J. Lethbridge