CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - United Launch Alliance deployed its fourth commercial mission of 2009 as an Atlas V rocket successfully launched the Intelsat 14 commercial telecommunications satellite at 1:55 a.m. EST, November 22, blasting off from Space Launch Complex-41. The spacecraft was successfully deployed from the Centaur upper stage nearly two hours after launch.
READ: ATLAS 5 / INTELSAT 14 MISSION OVERVIEW FREE VIDEOS: WATCH VIDEO: ATLAS AV-024 LAUNCH HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO (CREDIT: ULA) WATCH VIDEO: ATLAS LIFTS OFF WITH INTELSAT 14 (CREDIT: ULA) WATCH VIDEO: THE VIEW OF THE ATLAS ASCENT FROM MELBOURNE, FL WATCH VIDEO: ATLAS PROCESSING AND ROLLOUT TO THE LAUNCH PAD (CREDIT: ULA) WATCH VIDEO: ATLAS 5 / INTELSAT 14 MISSION PROFILE (CREDIT: ULA) ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: DOWNLOAD VIDEO: REPLAY OF THE ATLAS 5 LAUNCH WEBCAST (CREDIT: ULA) Litoff had been delayed an hour and five minutes due to upper level winds which created wind shear that was out of limits for the Atlas rocket's control system and could have caused the vehicle to lose control. After several weather balloons were released periodically to gather atmospheric data, the winds finally subsided just enough to permit launch before the window closed at 2:20 a.m. EST. According to Intelsat, its IS-14 spacecraft will provide high-powered video and data services through its 40 C-band and 22 Ku-band payload to customers throughout the Americas, Europe and Africa. It will replace the Intelsat IS-1R satellite once it’s operational. Intelsat 14 was built by Space Systems/Loral and also hosted a payload for the Internet Router in Space or IRIS program for the Department of Defense. “ULA congratulates our commercial space partners Intelsat, Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, and Space Systems/Loral on their mission success,” said Mark Wilkins, ULA vice president of the Atlas product line. “ULA also appreciates the dedicated and professional support from the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center and 45th Space Wing in the success of today’s launch. With this launch, nine of the Atlas V’s 19 launches since 2002 have been commercial missions, demonstrating the outstanding flexibility of the Atlas V team to support both government and commercial customers.” "This launch helps to ensure that vital communications will continue to bolster our nation's capabilities and showcases why the 45th Space Wing is the world's premiere gateway to space," said Brig. Gen. Edward L. Bolton Jr., 45th Space Wing commander. This mission, designated AV-024, was launched aboard an Atlas V 431 configuration using a Common Core Booster powered by a RD-180 engine, three Aerojet strap-on solid rocket motors, a Centaur upper stage powered by a Pratt & Whitney-manufactured RL10 engine, and a 4-meter diameter fairing. This successful Intelsat-14 launch represents the 35th launch by ULA since it’s formation in Dec 2006. This mission was the 17th flight of an Atlas V rocket from the Cape and the 19th launch overall this year on the Eastern Range. "I'm thrilled the launch went so well and the mission is a success," said 2nd Lt. Drew Peterson, 5th Space Launch Squadron, who served as Atlas V Mission Lead for the Intelsat-14 satellite. "I'd like to thank the entire team for this great achievement." The next launch from Cape Canaveral is the Delta IV Wideband Global SATCOM-3 mission for the Air Force currently scheduled for Dec. 2 with a launch window of 7:21 – 8:53 p.m. EST. The launch will occur from SLC-37 here. 
(Image Above: An Atlas V rocket with the commercial Intelsat-14 satellite launches from Space Launch Complex-41 at 1:55 a.m. EST November 22, 2009. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V was launched on behalf of Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services. The Intelsat-14 satellite will provide high-powered video and data services through its 40 C-band and 22 Ku-band payload to customers throughout the Americas, Europe and Africa. Photo by Pat Corkery, Lockheed Martin and United Launch Alliance.)
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