Titan II version
Titan II Titan 23G
Titan II missiles withdrawn from nuclear service and converted into space launchers. They flew thirteen times between September 1988 and October 2003 from Vandenberg, carrying payloads such as the Clementine lunar probe and NOAA weather satellites.
- September 5, 1988
- First launch
- 3,600 kg
- LEO capacity
- 1,900 kN
- Thrust
- No
- Reusable
History
A missile's second life
When the Titan II system was deactivated during the 1980s, dozens of missiles went into storage. Rather than scrap them, the Air Force had them converted into space launchers: structures and engines were overhauled, the guidance replaced by the Universal Space Guidance System, and payload fairings — and on some missions an extra upper stage — added.
Configuration and performance
The 23G stood 31.4 metres with a 3.05-metre core and weighed around 117 tonnes at liftoff. It could place 3,600 kg in low Earth orbit and 2,177 kg in polar orbit, the more common target since it flew from Vandenberg's SLC-4W. Depending on the mission it flew in a two- or three-stage configuration.
Thirteen flights
Between 1988 and 2003 it made thirteen launches with twelve successes. Its payloads included the Clementine probe that mapped the Moon, the QuikSCAT scatterometer and several NOAA weather satellites. The last lifted off in October 2003, closing more than forty years of Titan II service, first as a weapon and then as a launcher.