August 21^st 2002, Lockheed Martin’s Atlas 5 Maiden Launch from Launch Pad 41, Cape Canaveral

Air Force Station at 6:05 p.m. ET was a flight intended to revolutionize and revitalize the nation’s launch business. Within 32 minutes after liftoff, the rocket had placed a European four-ton Hot Bird 6 Eutelsat satellite in orbit, which will provide television services to Europe, North Africa and parts of the Middle East. The Atlas 5 is a descendant from America’s first intercontinental ballistic missile and Mercury-Atlas booster that moved John Glenn into space in 1962. The Atlas V is the biggest (191feet) and most powerful (860,000 pounds of thrust with the new Russian re-engine) in the Atlas 45 year old launch vehicle line. As Lockheed Martin invested $1 billion vs the US Air Force contribution of $500 Million, the hope is to bring more business back to the United States, promising cheaper (hopefully 25%) and quicker launches. The Atlas V is the first US launch vehicle designed to use a “clean pad”, being assembled away from the pad, then rolled out for liftoff on a mobile platform.