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Atlas D (SM-65D)

Atlas D (SM-65D) was the first operational model of the United States Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile and the direct basis for several early American space boosters. Its pressure-stabilized stainless-steel airframe used a stage-and-a-half propulsion arrangement; retired missiles and D-series hardware supported Mercury, reentry-vehicle research, and Orbiting Vehicle 1 missions after the weapon left alert service.

Atlas D (SM-65D)
NASA/Bill Ingalls · Stored/public JPEG is byte-identical to the NASA canonical 201108050008HQ large asset (1279x1920, SHA-256 54592683e90ae091eefed5173f1276a07ae2326599475516c32c208dbfd60e1c). NASA Images API metadata identifies the exact image as Atlas V Rocket Launches with Juno Spacecraft, photographed by NASA/Bill Ingalls, and describes the Atlas V/Juno launch from Space Launch Complex 41 on August 5, 2011. NASA current Images and Media Usage Guidelines state that NASA content may be used factually or informationally with NASA acknowledged, while NASA-hosted third-party content is marked and NASA use does not convey rights; commercial use must not imply endorsement and NASA logos and identifiers remain protected: https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/. This is an asset-level, conservative factual/editorial reuse basis with NASA/Bill Ingalls attribution, not a blanket license for promotional content, merchandise, NASA branding, or endorsement. · Source
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Identity

Aliases
SM-65D AtlasConvair Atlas DAtlas SM-65D
Family Name
Atlas
Full Name
Atlas D (SM-65D)
Status
retired
Type
rocket
Variant Name
D / SM-65D

Details

Description
Atlas D (SM-65D) was the first operational model of the United States Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile and the direct basis for several early American space boosters. Its pressure-stabilized stainless-steel airframe used a stage-and-a-half propulsion arrangement; retired missiles and D-series hardware supported Mercury, reentry-vehicle research, and Orbiting Vehicle 1 missions after the weapon left alert service.
Dimensions
Diameter M
3.05
First Flight Year
1,959
Last Flight Year
1,967
Manufacturer
Operator
Parent Vehicle Family
Propulsion Configurations
  • Entries
    • Nested value
    Name
    Atlas D (SM-65D) MA-2 installation
    Notes
    Exact Atlas D (SM-65D) integrated propulsion boundary: one Rocketdyne MA-2 stage-and-a-half system. The MA-2 record intentionally contains the documented booster, sustainer, and vernier architecture without asserting a disputed narrower component suffix set; Atlas D space-launch upper stages and later Atlas MA-3/MA-5 variants remain separate or unmodeled.
Rocket Specs
Liftoff Mass Kg
117,934
Reusability
expendable

Links

Official Url
https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/197976/convair-sm-65-atlas/

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
July 18, 2026 at 19:48:37 UTC
Updated Time
August 1, 2026 at 16:57:03 UTC
Image
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Search Name
Atlas D (SM-65D) SM-65D Atlas Convair Atlas D Atlas SM-65D