# Titan IIIA

> model of Titan III launch vehicle

**Wikidata**: [Q1187393](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1187393)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_IIIA)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/titan-iiia

## Summary
Titan IIIA is an American rocket model and the initial variant of the Titan III launch vehicle series, developed by Martin Marietta. It conducted two test flights in 1964–1965 to validate the design for subsequent Titan III configurations.

## Key Facts
- **First flight**: September 1, 1964  
- **Service retirement**: May 6, 1965  
- **Manufacturer**: Martin Marietta  
- **Gross mass**: 161,730 kilograms  
- **Height**: 42.0 meters  
- **Diameter**: 3.05 meters  
- **Payload capacity**: 3,100 kilograms  
- **Country of origin**: United States  

## FAQs  
### Q: What was Titan IIIA used for?  
A: Titan IIIA served as a testbed for the Titan III series, validating booster performance and staging before operational missions, including launches of Lincoln Experimental Satellites.  

### Q: How did Titan IIIA differ from other Titan III models?  
A: As the inaugural Titan III variant, it lacked the optional third-stage payload adapter used in later models like Titan IIIC, limiting its payload versatility.  

### Q: What happened to Titan IIIA after its flights?  
A: The model was retired after two successful launches in 1964–1965, with lessons directly applied to the more advanced Titan IIIC.  

### Q: What satellites did Titan IIIA deploy?  
A: It launched Lincoln Experimental Satellite 1 (LES-1) and Lincoln Experimental Satellite 2 (LES-2), both communications satellites used for radar calibration and signal tests.  

## Why It Matters  
Titan IIIA laid the groundwork for the Titan III program, which became a cornerstone of U.S. heavy-lift launches during the Cold War. Its use of solid rocket boosters to augment liquid-fueled stages set a precedent for future launch vehicles, enabling heavier payloads for military and civilian satellites. Despite its brief operational life, its successful LES missions advanced communications technology and calibration techniques, directly influencing satellite infrastructure development. The model’s design principles also accelerated the maturation of restartable upper stages, critical for complex orbital maneuvers.  

## Notable For  
- Pioneering the Titan III series’ booster configuration with twin solid rocket stages.  
- Conducting only two missions in its operational history (September 1964 and May 1965).  
- Launching the first Lincoln Experimental Satellites (LES-1 and LES-2), which resumed transmission decades after retirement.  
- Achieving a 3,100 kg payload capacity at a time when few U.S. launch vehicles exceeded this mass.  
- Establishing the Transtage as its upper component, a restartable stage reused in later Titan variants.  

## Body  
### Design and Configuration  
Titan IIIA consisted of three primary stages:  
- **Titan 3A-1**: First liquid-fueled stage  
- **Titan 3A-2**: Second liquid-fueled stage  
- **Transtage**: Restartable upper stage for orbit insertion  
Total height measured 42.0 meters with a diameter of 3.05 meters.  

### Operational Missions  
- **September 1, 1964**: Launched Lincoln Experimental Satellite 1 (LES-1), a communications satellite that ceased operations in 1967 but resumed transmitting circa 2012.  
- **May 6, 1965**: Launched Lincoln Experimental Satellite 2 (LES-2), another communications satellite used for RADAR calibration and signal studies.  

### Specifications  
- **Gross mass**: 161,730 kilograms (gross weight criterion)  
- **Payload capacity**: 3,100 kilograms  
- **Capital cost**: $30,740,000 (1985 value)  

### Legacy  
Titan IIIA’s missions directly informed the design of Titan IIIC, which retained its booster configuration but added payload adapter options. The Lincoln satellites it deployed remained in orbit long after retirement, enabling continued technological experiments.

## References

1. [Source](http://www.astronautix.com/t/titaniiia.html)
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013