# Atlas LV-3 Agena-D

> type of American expendable launch vehicle

**Wikidata**: [Q99672315](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q99672315)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/atlas-lv-3-agena-d

## Summary
The Atlas LV-3 Agena-D is an American expendable launch vehicle that combined a Convair-built SM-65D Atlas first stage with a Lockheed Agena-D upper stage. First flown in July 1963 and retired in July 1965, it served as a carrier for multiple KH-7 reconnaissance satellites.

## Key Facts
- First flight: 12 July 1963
- Service retirement: 20 July 1965
- Manufacturer: Convair (Atlas stage); Lockheed (Agena-D stage)
- Country of origin: United States
- Rocket model subclass of the Atlas-Agena D family
- Composed of an SM-65D Atlas first stage and an Agena-D second stage
- Also referred to as Atlas-LV3 Agena-D and Atlas LV3 Agena-D
- Primary payload: KH-7 reconnaissance satellites (KH 7-01 through KH 7-13)

## FAQs
### Q: What payloads did Atlas LV-3 Agena-D carry?
A: The vehicle launched a series of KH-7 Gambit reconnaissance satellites, specifically KH 7-01 through KH 7-13, supporting U.S. photoreconnaissance missions.

### Q: How long was the Atlas LV-3 Agena-D in service?
A: It flew from 12 July 1963 to 20 July 1965—just over two years—before retirement.

### Q: Which companies built the Atlas LV-3 Agena-D?
A: Convair manufactured the SM-65D Atlas first stage, while Lockheed produced the Agena-D upper stage.

## Why It Matters
The Atlas LV-3 Agena-D bridged a critical gap in early 1960s U.S. space-based reconnaissance, providing a proven stack that could place the heavy, high-resolution KH-7 Gambit satellites into low-Earth orbit. By mating the reliable Atlas D booster with the restartable Agena-D, engineers created a flexible, high-energy launcher that could inject payloads into precise polar orbits—an essential requirement for photographic surveillance of denied territory. Its short but successful service life helped validate the two-stage concept that informed later Atlas-derived vehicles, while the KH-7 missions it supported supplied key intelligence at the height of Cold-War tensions. Today the configuration is a textbook example of rapid, mission-focused launch-vehicle integration.

## Notable For
- Sole launch platform for the first thirteen KH-7 Gambit reconnaissance satellites
- First flight of the Atlas-Agena D pairing on 12 July 1963
- Two-year operational life—one of the shortest but most mission-specific Atlas variants
- Demonstrated restartable Agena-D upper stage for precise orbit insertion
- All-American supply chain: Convair + Lockheed components

## Body
### Vehicle Configuration
The Atlas LV-3 Agena-D stacked a lengthened SM-65D Atlas first stage atop a Lockheed Agena-D upper stage. The Atlas provided high-thrust ascent, while the Agena-D supplied in-space propulsion, attitude control, and payload stabilization.

### Operational History
Twelve launches occurred between July 1963 and July 1965, each carrying a single KH-7 satellite. Launch complex records show all flights were conducted from the Western Test Range, placing payloads into near-polar, low-Earth orbits optimized for photographic reconnaissance.

### Retirement
After the thirteenth KH-7 mission on 20 July 1965, the configuration was retired in favor of more capable Atlas-Agena variants and, later, the Atlas-Centaur family.

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Atlas LV-3 Agena-D",
  "description": "American expendable launch vehicle combining an SM-65D Atlas first stage with an Agena-D upper stage, flown 1963-1965.",
  "sameAs": ["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4812890"]
}