[4] It was developed from the highly successful Atlas II rocket and shared many components.

The dual-chamber RD-180 was therefore responsible for gimballing to control the rocket's pitch, yaw, and roll during first-stage flight.

[1][7] The first flight of the Atlas III occurred on 24 May 2000, launching the Eutelsat W4 communications satellite into a geosynchronous orbit.

[8] All Atlas III launches were made from Space Launch Complex 36B at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), which at that time was called Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS).

The Atlas III made its sixth and final flight on 3 February 2005, with a classified payload for the United States National Reconnaissance Office.

[9][10] Although its career was short, Atlas III performed 6 successful missions with no failures.

The GX rocket, formerly under development by Galaxy Express Corporation, was originally intended to use the boost stage of the Atlas III, provided by Lockheed-Martin, and a newly designed upper stage.

[11] The Atlas III first stage was considered as a Removable Propulsion Module (RPM) for the Starbooster concept.