Atlas (rocket family) ... Atlas is a family of US missiles and space launch vehicles that originated with the SM-65 Atlas. The Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program was initiated …

Atlas, series of American launch vehicles, designed originally as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), that have been in service since the late 1950s. The Atlas D, the first version …

Aug 3, 2016 · Credit: (c) Mark Wade The Atlas rocket, originally developed as America's first ICBM, was the basis for most early American space exploration and was that country's most …

Over the last 50 years, more than 600 Atlas rockets have flown. One unusual feature of the Atlas rocket is its unique staging system. In the 1950's, rocket designers faced a number of serious …

The Atlas family of rockets began their life in 1957 as the first successful Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) launched by the United States, created by Lockheed Martin legacy company …

Aug 26, 2024 · The Atlas rocket family has played a pivotal role in the history of the United States' space program, evolving from its origins as a Cold War-era intercontinental ballistic missile …

Dec 17, 2025 · The prior Atlas V 551 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 at 8:09 a.m. EDT (1209 UTC), on Sept. 25 for the then named Kuiper-3 mission delivering another batch of …

The Atlas is best known as the launch vehicle for the manned Mercury missions beginning with John Glenn’s “Friendship 7” in 1962. To date there have been over 650 missions, and …

Atlas rockets lifted some of the first US astronauts and satellites into Earth orbit in the 1960s. Atlas also was the first American nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM.

Dec 27, 2025 · The 2025 heavy lift scene is dotted with amazing feats and crossed with life-threatening failures. Read on to find out about them!