New Conti Fitment Out of this World

The US Atlas and Delta single use rockets have carried nearly 1,300 combined payloads to space, with cargoes ranging from weather, telecommunications and national security satellites, to material for deep space and interplanetary exploration missions. Now Continental Tire North America is making a small contribution to this further exploration and utilisation of outer space through the provision of its tyres for a ground transporter vehicle that will be used to support Atlas V rocket launch processing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of The Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin Corporation, contacted Continental to provide replacement tyres for its KAMAG Transporttechnik self-propelled Transporter Platform. Continental was chosen to supply the replacement tyres based on the manufacturer’s specifications, said Steven Mansker, subcontract administrator for the ULA’s Atlas V Launch Operations Program at Vandenberg.

The KAMAG transporter, which is almost 20 metres long, is used to move Atlas flight hardware from its loading facility to the launch pad at ULA’s Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The capacity of the KAMAG transporter is 205 tonnes and it travels at eight miles per hour. Continental provided a set of 82 15-inch HTR (Heavy Trailer Regional) tube-type tyres for the KAMAG transporter and they were installed in mid-April, said Clif Armstrong, Continental’s director of marketing for Commercial Vehicle Tires – The Americas.

Continental’s HTR features a multiple-rib tread design intended to provide excellent wet traction and lateral stability. The tyre’s high ply ratings provide durability for long casing life, and see-through grooves aid in water evacuation, Armstrong said. “Continental is proud to provide this set of tyres to the ULA for the KAMAG transporter platform. It is incredible to know that our tyres will assist in launching US commercial and military satellites into space that help improve and protect life here on Earth.”