Rocket file · LV-237
SM-65D Atlas
SM-65D Atlas is an expendable launch vehicle built by Convair. It stands 25.1 m tall, lifts 1,400 kg to low Earth orbit, first flew on 14 April 1959. It has flown 9 times with 6 successes, a success rate of 66.7%. It has nothing on the Launch Library 2 schedule right now.
Specification
Vehicle spec sheet
As listed by Launch Library 2. The cost is Launch Library’s figure, not a quoted price. Figures for rockets outside the sixty most-flown were last read on 2026-11-05.
Flight record
Reliability
About Atlas D
The SM-65D Atlas, or Atlas D, was the first operational version of the U.S. Atlas missile. Atlas D was first used as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to deliver a nuclear weapon payload on a suborbital trajectory. It was later developed as a launch vehicle to carry a payload to low Earth orbit on its own, and later to geosynchronous orbit, to the Moon, Venus, or Mars with the Agena or Centaur upper stage.
Upcoming flights
Manifest
Atlas D is retired, and no flight is filed.
All upcoming launchesSM-65D Atlas in the archive
From NASA's public image library and Wikimedia Commons. Each photo shows the credit its licence asks for and links back to where it came from.
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Common questions
- How many times has SM-65D Atlas flown?
- 9 times, with 6 successes and 3 failures.
- What is SM-65D Atlas's success rate?
- 66.7%. That's 6 successful flights out of 9 attempts.
- How much can SM-65D Atlas lift to orbit?
- Launch Library 2 lists SM-65D Atlas at 1,400 kg to low Earth orbit.
- Is SM-65D Atlas reusable?
- No. Launch Library 2 lists SM-65D Atlas as expendable, so no stage is recovered to fly again.