Centaur upper stage installation recognizes trailblazing space program

Published Nov. 4, 2024
By Brad Smith
Space Systems Command Public Affairs

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AFNS) -- An exhibit spotlighting an unheralded but vital element of America’s space capabilities was unveiled in an October ribbon-cutting ceremony at Los Angeles Air Force Base, both to celebrate the program’s achievements and inspire future Guardians.

Members of Space Systems Command and guests applaud during the dedication of the Centaur III upper stage and its associated RL10 rocket engine exhibit at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 18, 2024. The Centaur upper stage, dubbed “America’s Workhorse in Space,” has played a vital role in U.S. efforts in space since the 1960s from the exploration of every planet in the solar system to launching entire satellite constellations, serving as sentinels for national defense. (U.S. Space Force photo by Van Ha)

Showcasing the Centaur III upper stage and its associated RL10 rocket engine, the exhibit was dedicated on Oct. 18 at Los Angeles AFB, where Space Systems Command is headquartered. The Centaur family of liquid hydrogen-fueled upper stages has been placing U.S. spacecraft into Earth orbit and beyond since 1965, while the program – which made its 289th successful flight Oct. 4 - has been, and remains, an integral part of missions led by the Space Force and its predecessor organizations.

“The Centaur is deeply rooted in our history,” said Col. Michelle Idle, SSC deputy commander, who spoke to an audience of more than 100 attending the dedication ceremony. “It has put many of our capabilities up to orbit … time and time again, the Centaur has delivered.”

Idle’s remarks were the keynote of the dedication ceremony, which came as the culmination of a multi-year effort to deliver the exhibit to Los Angeles AFB as a partnership between the Space Force, the Air Force, industry partners, and SSC’s Heritage Center, which supports the command’s public history and educational missions.

“Centaur’s not only been a long-living system that has continuously been updated with new technology, but it’s also been a pretty darn reliable system that’s operated with a high success rate … it’s over 92%,” said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas Taverney, who serves as chairman of the Heritage Center’s foundation. “The Centaur, the RL10, have been pretty much hand-in-glove with (what’s now) Space Force since the ‘60s, getting critical satellites to orbit and still is there, helping us do our job.”

A ribbon cutting ceremony for the dedication of a Centaur III upper stage and its associated RL10 rocket engine is held at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 18, 2024. Celebrating the arrival of the Centaur III artifact to LAAFB, the host installation unit, Space Base Delta 3, and Space Systems Command commemorate its heritage as 2024 marks the 70th year since the Air Force’s Western Development Division was formed and the fifth anniversary of the U.S. Space Force. (U.S. Space Force photo by Jose Hernandez) — Members of Space Systems Command and guests applaud during the dedication of the Centaur III upper stage and its associated RL10 rocket engine exhibit at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 18, 2024. The Centaur upper stage, dubbed “America’s Workhorse in Space,” has played a vital role in U.S. efforts in space since the 1960s from the exploration of every planet in the solar system to launching entire satellite constellations, serving as sentinels for national defense. (U.S. Space Force photo by Van Ha)

The dedication was the latest in a series of 2024 commemorations of SSC’s history, which began in 1954, when the Air Force’s Western Development Division was formed to manage an urgent program to develop missiles, launch vehicles and satellites during the height of the Cold War. Today, SSC - a Space Force field command since 2021 – is the leading organization responsible for acquiring and delivering capabilities to protect the United States’s strategic interests in space, including managing a $15.6 billion acquisition budget for the Department of Defense.

The Centaur stage and the RL10 engine on display at LAAFB were used for various testing and research purposes over the life of the program. They were donated by United Launch Alliance, the corporate partnership between Lockheed Martin and Boeing that provides satellite launch services for the Department of Defense. ULA is the corporate descendant of Convair, which developed the Centaur in the 1960s, as the product of research by the government, industry and academia.

“Centaur was the first cryogenic upper stage featuring hydrogen and liquid oxygen, so that we could fly longer, more intense and higher-energy missions,” said Marcus Nichols, a former Air Force officer who served at Los Angeles AFB and who currently works as ULA’s senior manager in southern California. “We’ve evolved that over time to make it the most capable high-energy upper stage in the business, servicing national defense and powering missions to every planet in the solar system - and Pluto.”

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Sean Granier, commander of the 61st Civil Engineer and Logistics Squadron, gives remarks during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Centaur III propellant tank artifact dedication at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 18, 2024. The 61 CELS was integral in the installation of the display which came as the culmination of a multi-year effort made possible by the collaboration between the U.S. Space Force, the U.S. Air Force, industry partners and the Space and Missile Heritage Center supporting the command’s public history and educational missions. (U.S. Space Force photo by Van Ha) — Members of Space Systems Command and guests applaud during the dedication of the Centaur III upper stage and its associated RL10 rocket engine exhibit at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 18, 2024. The Centaur upper stage, dubbed “America’s Workhorse in Space,” has played a vital role in U.S. efforts in space since the 1960s from the exploration of every planet in the solar system to launching entire satellite constellations, serving as sentinels for national defense. (U.S. Space Force photo by Van Ha)

Historically, the Centaur was developed through a series of partnerships between the Defense Department, NASA and industry, and was – and continues to be – used for a variety of space projects, both military and civilian. On the civilian side, the programs include:

Atlas-Centaur: The original Centaur configuration, used on Atlas rockets from the 1960s-1980s. Launched NASA’s Surveyor, Pioneer, Viking and Voyager spacecraft.

Titan IIIE-Centaur: Used on Titan rockets in the 1970s, with a larger 4.3 m diameter tank. Launched Helios, Viking and Voyager.

Titan IV-Centaur: Used on Titan IV rockets in the 1990s/2000s, with the widened Centaur-G and Centaur-T variants. Launched Cassini to Saturn.

Atlas IIAS-Centaur: Improved Atlas-Centaur used in the 1990s, with a stretched Centaur stage. Launched the joint NASA-European Space Agency Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO.

Atlas III-Centaur: Transitional Atlas version in the early 2000s, used the new Centaur III upper stage. Launched Mars Odyssey.

Atlas V-Centaur: Current Atlas version, with the Centaur IV or Centaur V upper stage. Has launched New Horizons, Juno, OSIRIS-REx and many others.

The Centaur’s flexibility in integrating with different launch vehicles has been key to its longevity, experts said. The Centaur V continues to fly regularly as the upper stage for Atlas V rockets and is used as the upper stage for the new Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle.

“The Centaur, also known as America’s workhorse in space, services as an engineering marvel, representing decades of innovation and achievement in aerospace technology,” said Lt. Col. Sean Granier, 61st Civil Engineer and Logistics Squadron commander and host of the event. “Space is not just the final frontier; it is a realm where our dreams take flight, and where teamwork, across disciplines, leads to ground-breaking discoveries."