 | Atlas 5: All in the Family | |  | | | | |
Boasting a pair of solid rocket boosters, each roughly the same size as one of rocket's predecessors, the Atlas 5 Model 521 took to the skies Thursday, July 17, 2003 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Boasting a pair of solid rocket boosters (SRB), each roughly the same size as one of rocket's predecessors, the Atlas 5 Model 521 took to the skies Thursday, July 17, 2003 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The Atlas 5 family of launch vehicles was developed by Lockheed Martin as part of the U.S. Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program to increase assured access to space while at the same time keeping costs down. International Launch Services markets the Atlas family in the commercial marketplace.
The Atlas 5 booster can trace its heritage back to the missile hey days of the 1950s. But in the 46 years since the first Atlas A, an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICMB), was launched, the launch vehicle has made huge strides, with the Atlas 5 SRB's now about as big as the original ICBM.
The inaugural launch of the latest Atlas 5 successfully put Cablevision's Rainbow-1 satellite in orbit. It's not clear when the next Atlas 5 will launch, but history has proven that the Atlas series of rockets appears to have a bright future.
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