Atlas V Rocket Launches Massive Inmarsat 4F-1 Satellite

March 11, 2005 -- An Atlas V launch vehicle carried its largest payload to date into orbit tonight, the Inmarsat 4-F1 satellite that weighs nearly 6 metric tons (5,959 kgs/13,138 pounds). This also marked the third launch of the year for International Launch Services (ILS). The Lockheed Martin-built (NYSE: LMT) Atlas V vehicle, designated AV-004, lifted off at 4:42 p.m. EST (21:42 GMT). It placed the Inmarsat spacecraft in a supersynchronous transfer orbit 32 minutes later. Satellite controllers have confi