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AstroSat
AstroSat is India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space astronomy observatory, operated by ISRO and launched on 28 September 2015, making India the fifth entity to operate a space-based astronomical observatory.
Atlas (rocket family)
Atlas is an American rocket family that began as the SM-65, the first operational US intercontinental ballistic missile, and evolved into the Atlas V, a mainstay of national security launches.
Atlas Agena B
The Atlas Agena B was an American expendable launch vehicle, an Atlas D booster with a Lockheed Agena B upper stage, flown from 1960 to 1966.
Atlas D
The Atlas D (Convair SM-65D) was the first operational American intercontinental ballistic missile, deployed in 1959, and in modified form launched John Glenn and three other Mercury astronauts into orbit.
Atlas E
Atlas E was the second operational version of the SM-65 Atlas, the US Air Force's first ICBM, deployed from 1961 to 1966 and later reused as a space booster.
Atlas I
Atlas I was an American expendable launch vehicle built by General Dynamics, the first commercial Atlas-Centaur, flown eleven times from Cape Canaveral from 1990 to 1997.
Atlas II
Atlas II was an American expendable launch vehicle family developed by General Dynamics and later Lockheed Martin, flying 63 successful missions from 1991 to 2004.
Atlas IIA
The Atlas IIA was an American expendable launch vehicle, an Atlas II with uprated Centaur engines that flew 23 times from 1992 to 2002 without a failure.
Atlas SLV-3 Agena D
Atlas SLV-3 Agena D was an American two-stage expendable launch vehicle pairing the standardized SLV-3 Atlas first stage with the Lockheed Agena D upper stage, flown from 1964 to 1967.
Atlas SLV-3D Centaur
The Atlas SLV-3D Centaur was an American two-stage expendable launch vehicle consisting of an SLV-3D Atlas first stage and a Centaur upper stage, flown from 1973 to 1983.
Atlas V
Atlas V is an American two-stage launch vehicle family operated by United Launch Alliance, first flown in 2002 with a Russian RD-180 engine, with 110 flights by 2026.
Atlas V 401
The Atlas V 401 is the baseline configuration of United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket, with a 4-meter fairing, no solid boosters, and a single-engine Centaur, first flown in 2002.
Atlas V 551
The Atlas V 551 is the most powerful configuration of United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket, with five solid boosters, a 5-meter fairing, and a single-engine Centaur.
Atlas-Agena
Atlas-Agena was an American expendable launch vehicle combining an Atlas booster with a Lockheed Agena upper stage, flown by NASA and the Air Force from 1960.
Atlas-Centaur
Atlas-Centaur was an American expendable launch vehicle pairing the Atlas booster with the liquid-hydrogen Centaur upper stage; it launched Surveyor landers, interplanetary probes, and satellites from 1962 into the 1990s.
Atmospheric entry
Atmospheric entry, also known as re-entry or spacecraft reentry, is the passage of a spacecraft or natural object into a planet's atmosphere, requiring thermal protection against extreme heating.
ATN (satellite bus)
The ATN is an American satellite bus, of the Advanced TIROS-N lineage, built for polar-orbiting meteorology and flown on 11 NOAA weather satellites launched between 1983 and 2009.
Attitude control
Attitude control is the spacecraft engineering method for holding a vehicle at a desired orientation or reorienting it, using sensors and actuators such as reaction wheels, thrusters, and magnetorquers.
Autogenous pressurization
Autogenous pressurization, also called self-pressurization, maintains pressure in a liquid rocket propellant tank by vaporizing some of its own cryogenic propellant instead of storing external gas like helium.
Automated Transfer Vehicle
The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) was a European Space Agency uncrewed cargo spacecraft that resupplied the International Space Station on five automated flights between 2008 and 2014.
Autonomous collision avoidance
Autonomous collision avoidance lets a spacecraft detect a predicted close approach in orbit, assess the collision risk, and execute an avoidance maneuver without human approval of each action.
Autonomous orbit control
Autonomous orbit control is the onboard regulation of a spacecraft's orbit, with the spacecraft determining its position and firing thrusters without ground operators in the loop.
Autonomous rendezvous and docking
Autonomous rendezvous and docking (RVD) is the spacecraft operation in which a chaser vehicle navigates to and mechanically joins a target with little human intervention.
Autonomous spaceport drone ship
An autonomous spaceport drone ship, also known as a SpaceX drone ship, is an unmanned, self-positioning ocean platform on which a Falcon 9 booster lands for recovery at sea.
Avio
Avio is an Italian aerospace company headquartered in Colleferro, near Rome. Founded in 1912, it employs more than 1,300 people and is prime contractor for the Vega launcher.
Axiom Mission 4
Axiom Mission 4, also known as Axiom-4, was a 2025 private astronaut mission to the International Space Station organized by Axiom Space and flown on a SpaceX Crew Dragon.
Axiom Mission 5
Axiom Mission 5, also known as Ax-5, is a planned private astronaut mission to the International Space Station organized by Axiom Space, targeted to launch in January 2027.
Axiom Space
Axiom Space is a Houston aerospace company, founded in 2016 by Michael Suffredini and Kam Ghaffarian, that flies private missions to the International Space Station.
Azersky
Azersky was a high-resolution Earth observation satellite of Azerbaijan's operator Azercosmos, launched as SPOT 7 in June 2014 and lost to an in-orbit failure in March 2023.
Azur (satellite)
Azur, also written AZUR and designated GRS A, was West Germany's first research satellite, launched in 1969 to study Earth's radiation belts, auroral zones, and solar particle streams.