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American rocket stage used as the first stage of the Atlas V Rocket
This article is about Atlas V first stage. For the Delta IV booster, see Common Booster Core.
The Common Core Booster (CCB) is a rocket stage, which is used as the first stage of the American Atlas V rocket as part of its modular design. It was also intended that two additional CCBs would be used as boosters on the Atlas V Heavy, however this configuration has not been developed. Use of a Common Core Booster as the first stage of the JapaneseGX was also planned; however, this program was cancelled in late 2009.
The Common Core Booster is 32.46 m (106.5 ft) long, has a diameter of 3.81 m (12.5 ft) and is powered by a single RD-180 engine burning RP-1 and liquid oxygen.
Testing of the CCB and its RD-180 engines was conducted in the United States at the Marshall Space Flight Center, and in Khimki, Russia. The test programme concluded with the final engine test in December 2001. The first launch of a Common Core Booster was the maiden flight of the Atlas V, which was launched from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 21 August 2002. As of November 2020, the Atlas V has made 86 flights, all of which have used a single Common Core Booster.
McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
Kyle, Ed. "Atlas 5 Launch Record". Space Launch Report. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
The CCB of Atlas V AV-021 is erected at the Vertical Integration Facility of SLC-41 ahead of the launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory
