KerbalX

Details

• Type: VAB
• Class: station
• Part Count: 25
• Mods: 2
• KSP: 1.11.0

Mods

• Bluedog DB
• Squad (stock)

The SM-65 Atlas became America’s first ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) and became operational in October 1959 as the Atlas-D. The Atlas-D was developed into an entire family of heavy lifters including the man-rated Atlas-LV-3. The Atlas LV-3A was used as the first stage-and-a-half for a number of missions including the Atlas/Agena-A of which four were built for the MIDAS and SAMOS programs which would provide early-warning systems to detect Soviet nuclear missions being launched.

The Agena upper stage was developed by the USAF while the USN developed the Able rocket as their upper stage, unlike the Able it was developed from the beginning with a specific purpose in mind to be the platform for America’s first spy satellites. The Agena-A was deployed just slightly ahead of the Able upper stage and would power the Corona, MIDAS, and SAMOS programs with twenty launches between 1959 and 1961. It would continue on as a whole family of upper stages with 365 lifetime launches before being finally retired in 1987.

The MIDAS (Mission Defense Alarm System) was an early attempt to use satellites with an infrared sensor to detect missile launches and provide an early-warning system to allow for a more rapid response to potential Soviet nuclear first strikes. The satellites were somewhat of a failure carried on the Agena-A, B, and D in their primary role but paved the way for better early warning detection satellites.

The SAMOS (Satellite and Missile Observation System) was a similar program used photo-optical sensors to attempt to detect launches, both of Soviet satellites and missiles as part of an early warning detection strategy. The KH-1 Corona had a number of early failures which required a backup solution, SAMOS, which had a similar mission profile of providing reconnaissance on missile launch sites. The first one was launched on an Atlas-Agena-A but failure of the Agena-A caused a mission failure and subsequently other SAMOS missions met with partial failures and limited successes.

The Bossart is Bluedog Design Bureau’s approximation of the Atlas and in this configuration approximates the Atlas-D as used for the Atlas-Able rockets. It is still a one-and-a-half stage rocket just like the actual Atlas-LV-3A. The sustainer and booster stages are fired together along with Vernier motors on the side that control pitch and rotation. Once the rocket has entered the upper atmosphere then the booster engines are no longer necessary and jettisoned along with the booster skirt.

The Belle-A is an approximation of the Agena-A and in this case has been modified to represent the MIDAS with an antenna and an infrared sensor which can be deployed once the nose cap has been jettisoned. It has a vacuum-efficient liquid engine with more than dV to put it into any orbit around Kerbin. If you are looking for a historically-accurate mission you should aim for a polar orbit.

Built in the VAB in KSP version 1.11.0.