Atlas V 551

EELV

Mission Profile

The Atlas V 551 is a two-stage American launch vehicle in the Atlas family, the most powerful Atlas V configuration featuring five AJ-60A solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage under the EELV programme. Standing 62.2 m tall with a 3.8 m core diameter and a liftoff mass of 569 tonnes, it generates 10,632 kN of liftoff thrust and can deliver 18,510 kg to low Earth orbit or 8,900 kg to geostationary transfer orbit. First flying in January 2006 with the New Horizons Pluto mission, the Atlas V 551 has launched some of NASA's most ambitious planetary science missions and heavy national security payloads.