CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. In yet another sign that the Cold War is over, U.S. aerospace giant Lockheed Martin is poised to send its new Atlas 3 rocket the first American launcher powered by Russian engines on its inaugural flight this evening.

The 16-story Atlas 3 and its payload a television satellite that will beam broadcasts to Russia and Africa is scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station between 5:37 p.m. and 7:57 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (21:37 and 23:57 GMT) that day.

"This is a very special occasion for us," said John Karas, a vice president with Lockheed Martin Space Systems. "It isnt every day that you get to go field a brand new rocket with such historical significance as this."

The heart of the new rocket its 93.5-foot (28.5-meter) first stage is an interesting mix of missile and rocket development that has taken place in the U.S. and Russia over the past half century.

The Atlas stage itself is an upgraded version of the first U.S. Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), hundreds of which once were targeted at cities and military installations in the former Soviet Union.

The heritage of the RD 180 engine that powers the Atlas stage dates back to NPO Energomash engines that once provided propulsion for Soviet missiles aimed at targets in the U.S. and allied countries.

The irony is not lost on those involved in the Atlas 3 program. But officials with both Lockheed Martin and NPO Energomash say their partnership is crucial to remaining competitive in the burgeoning global launch-services industry.

"The world has changed," said Vladimir Chvanov, first deputy general director and general designer for NPO Energomash. "And I think now no one country or no one enterprise can achieve the goals that we have in front of us, so we have to work together in close cooperation in order to achieve what we plan to do."

The two-stage Atlas 3, which also features a Centaur upper stage powered by a Pratt & Whitney RL 10 engine, will loft a 7,018-pound (3,190 kilogram) satellite owned by EUTELSAT, a Paris-based consortium considered Europes leading satellite operator.

Made by Alcatel Space, the satellite will provide direct-to-home digital-television broadcasting and internet services to customers in Russia and sub-Saharan Africa.

The weather forecast for Mondays launch attempt, meanwhile, is a bit iffy.

A weak cold front is expected to sweep into the central Florida area this weekend, bringing with it an increasing chance of scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms.

The main concern will be the possibility that electrically charged clouds trailing thunderstorms could stall over the Cape Canaveral area during the two-hour, 20-minute launch window.

Strict flight rules prohibit launching in such conditions because a rocket flying through electrically charged clouds could trigger destructive bolts of lightning.

Launch weather officers, consequently, say there is only a 60-percent chance conditions will be acceptable for launch Monday.