Atlas V 541

EELV

Mission Profile

The Atlas V 541 is a two-stage American heavy-lift launch vehicle featuring five solid rocket strap-on boosters, a 4-meter fairing, and a single-engine Centaur upper stage, configured for the heaviest national security and planetary science payloads in the Atlas V portfolio. Standing 62.2 m tall with a 3.8 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 541 tonnes, it generates 8,910 kN of combined liftoff thrust and can deliver 17,410 kg to low Earth orbit. Its maiden flight in November 2011 launched the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, and the 541 configuration went on to carry other flagship planetary missions and large government satellites.