Titan 23B (Lockheed Martin)
The Titan 23B is a non-reusable, inactive launch vehicle manufactured by Lockheed Martin (established in 1953). It undertook its inaugural launch on 08/23/1969.
Titan IIIB was the collective name for a number of derivatives of the Titan II ICBM and Titan III launch vehicle, modified by the addition of an Agena upper stage. It consisted of four separate rockets. The Titan 23B was a basic Titan II with an Agena upper stage, and the Titan 24B was the same concept, but using the slightly enlarged Titan IIIM rocket as the base. The Titan 33B was a Titan 23B with the Agena (which had a smaller diameter than the Titan) enclosed in an enlarged fairing, in order to allow larger payloads to be launched. The final member of the Titan IIIB family was the Titan 34B which was a Titan 24B with the larger fairing used on the Titan 33B.
Titan 23B Specifications
| Variant | 23B |
|---|---|
| Length | 45 m |
| Diameter | 3.05 m |
| Stages | 3 |
| Launch Mass | 165 T |
| Takeoff Thrust | 2300 kN |
| LEO Capacity | 3000 kg |
Titan 23B Launch Record
| Total Launches | 9 |
|---|---|
| Successful Launches | 9 |
| Consecutive Successful Launches | 9 |
Manufacturer
Lockheed Martin's Space Division started in the production of missiles and later ICBM's in the 1950s. Their TITAN missile system was used for 12 Gemini spacecraft and the Voyager probes. They have worked largely in collaboration with NASA on many of their probes, landers, and spacecraft, and hope to play a key role in NASA's return to the moon in 2024.