Atlas (ICBM-Based) Failure History (1979-2005) Page 4 of 4: Comprehensive Orbital Launch Failure List% Date Vehicle ID Site Payload Failure Description Result# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11/26/1959 Atlas Able 20D CC LC14 Able IVB PL shroud fail 45s FTO 2/26/1960 Atlas Agena A 29D CC LC14 Midas 1 Agena failed to sep FTO 9/25/1960 Atlas Able 80D CC LC12 Able VA Able oxid. malf., 1290 km apogee FTO 10/11/1960 Atlas Agena A 57D PA LC1-1 Samos 1 Agena failure (umbilical disc. fail) FTO 12/15/1960 Atlas Able 91D CC LC12 Able VB Able ignited early, veh xplod T+70s FTO 4/25/1961 Atlas D 100D CC LC14 MA-3 Atlas control, RSO 40s, Merc escape FTO 8/23/1961 Atlas Agena B 111D CC LC12 Ranger 1 (AA1) Agena failed to restart (LEO) 9/9/1961 Atlas Agena B 106D PA LC1-1 Samos 3 Umbilical, shutdown, exploded T+1.3s FTO 10/21/1961 Atlas Agena B 105D PA LC1-2 Midas 4 Atlas roll, Agena cntl gas exhasted (LEO) 11/18/1961 Atlas Agena B 117D CC LC12 Ranger 2 (AA2) Agena roll gyro failed, no restart (LEO) 11/22/1961 Atlas Agena B 108D PA LC1-1 Samos 4 Atlas failure, 200 km apogee FTO 12/22/1961 Atlas Agena B 114D PA LC1-2 Samos 5 SECO late, 650vs410km plannd apogee (LEO) 1/26/1962 Atlas Agena B 121D CC 12 Ranger 3 Radio Guid. fail. Missed Moon (HCO) 5/9/1962 Atlas Centaur F-1 CC LC36A R&D Centaur insul. panel fail 55s FSO* 7/22/1962 Atlas Agena B 145D CC LC12 Mariner 1 (AA5) Bad Atlas guido commands, RSO 293s FTO 12/17/1962 Atlas Agena B 131D PA LC1-2 Midas 6 Atlas hydraulics, ctl lost T+80s FTO 6/13/1963 Atlas Agena B 139D PA LC1-2 Midas 8 RSO destruct at T+94sec FTO 6/30/1964 Atlas Centaur AC-3 CC LC36A R&D RL10 actuator, Centaur shutdown FTO 10/8/1964 SLV-3 Agena D 7103 PA LC2-4 Gambit 12 Agena failed, bad engine shutdown FTO 11/5/1964 Atlas Agena D 289D CC 13 Mariner 3 PLF failed to sep. Bad solar orbit (HCO) 12/11/1964 Atlas Centaur AC-4 CC LV36A Surveyor MM Centaur restart failed (LEO) 1/21/1965 Atlas D 172D V 576B3 ABRES MTV-1/OV1-1 Deploy from ABRES failed, no orbit FTO 3/2/1965 Atlas Centaur AC-5 CC LC36A Surveyor SD-1 Exploded on pad T-0, booster cutoff FTO 5/28/1965 Atlas D 68D V ABRESB3 OV1-3/Mk3 OF Atlas booster engine failed T+116s FTO 7/12/1965 SLV-3 Agena D 7112 V PALC2-4 Gambit 20 Autopilot commanded SECO at BECO FTO 10/25/1965 SLV-3 Agena D 5301 CC LC14 GATV 5002 Agena start failed, explded at 6 min FTO 5/17/1966 SLV-3 Agena D 5303 CC LC14 GATV 5004 Atlas control failure FTO 4/8/1966 Atlas Centaur AC-8 CC LC36B Surveyor SD-3 Centaur restart failed (LEO) 6/9/1966 Atlas Agena D 7201 V PALC1-2 RTS 1-1 Agena restart failed (EEO) 7/14/1966 Atlas D OV1 58D V ABRESB3 OV1-7/OV1-8 OV1-7 kick stg failed, OV1-8 ok FTO& 7/27/1967 Atlas D 92D V ABRESB3 OV1-11/12/86 OV1-11 no orbit FTO& 4/6/1967 SLV-3 Agena-D 5102 CC LC12 ATS 2 (AA21) Stranded in GTO, decayd 2 yrs (GTO) 8/16/1968 Atlas Burner 2 7004 V SLC3E P68-1 (OV5-8) PL shroud no sep, failed to orbit FTO 8/10/1968 SLV-3C Centaur AC-17 CC LC36A ATS 4 Centaur restart failed (LEO) 11/30/1970 SLV-3C Centaur AC-21 CC LC36B OAO B PL shroud no sep FTO 5/9/1971 SLV-3C Centaur AC-24 CC LC36A Mariner 8 Centaur control sys failed, RSO FTO 12/5/1971 SLV-3A Agena D 5503A CC LC13 Canyon 4 Sustainer Mod 2 turbine problem FTO 2/20/1975 SLV-3D Centaur AC-33 CC LC36A Intelsat 4 F-6 Booster disconnect fail, RSO 450s FTO 4/13/1975 Atlas F 71F V SLC3W STP P72-2 Flame duct explosion damaged engine FTO 9/30/1977 SLV-3D Centaur AC-43 CC LC36A Intelsat 4A F-5 Atlas booster hot gas duct leak 55s FTO 5/29/1980 Atlas-F/Star37 19F V SLC3W NOAA B ISS (3rd stg) fuel deplete early (LEO/P) 12/9/1980 Atlas E/MSD 68E V SLC3W NOSS 4 / LIPS 1 B-2 booster lube oil flow loss FTO 12/19/1981 Atlas E/SVS 76E V SLC3W GPS 7 B-1 gas gen, crashed 150yds from pad FTO 08/06/1981 SLV-3D Centaur AC-59 CC LC36A FLTSATCOM 5 PLF inner lining damaged satellite (GTO) 6/9/1984 Atlas G Centaur AC-62 CC LC36B Intelsat 5 F-9 No Centaur restart, LOX tank failed (LEO) 3/26/1987 Atlas G Centaur AC-67 CC LC36B FLTSATCOM 6 Atlas struck by lightning FTO 4/18/1991 Atlas I Centaur AC-70 CC LC36B BS-3H Centaur failed to start, RSO 6m** FTO 8/22/1992 Atlas I Centaur AC-71 CC LC36B Galaxy 1R Centaur failed to start, RSO** FTO 3/25/1993 Atlas I Centaur AC-74 CC LC36B UFO 1 Low booster thrust >25s, low orbit (EEO) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Footnotes: % Does not include Atlas C Able (9C) on-pad (CC LC 12) explosion during pre-launch processing on 9/24/1959 for R&D flight. & Each OV1 had its own kick stage. OV1 7 and OV1 11 did not reach orbit due to OV1 kick stage failures. ** Problem not understood after AC-70, finally traced to icing of RL10 turbopump liquid hydrogen impeller blades. # FTO: Failed to Orbit FSO*: Failed Suborbital (EEO): Unintended Eliptical Earth Orbit (GTO): Unintended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (LEO): Unintended/Improper Low Earth Orbit RSO = Range Safety Officer CC = Cape Canaveral, Florida PA = Point Arguello, California (incorporated into Vandenberg Air Force Base as South Vandenberg after 1964) V = Vandenberg AFB, California References: Jonathan's Space Report Launch Vehicle Database "http://www.planet4589.org/space/lvdb/index.html" Encylopedia Astronautica "http://www.astronautix.com/" Gunter's Space Page "http://www.skyrocket.de/space" TRW Space Log 1957-1996, TRW Space & Electronics Group, Redondo Beach, CA. Last Update 08/16/2020 by Ed Kyle