An Atlas 2AS with a Centaur upper stage lifts SES Americom’s AMC-11 satellite into orbit. AMC-11 will broadcast television programming across the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean for at least 20 years if all goes as planned. This commercial launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station occurred at 6:22 p.m. on 19 May 2004. The launch was delayed 30 minutes due to a possible problem with the rocket’s navigation unit. The images above show launch through booster rocket separation. The arrow in the little inset at lower right points toward the booster rockets peeling away from the Atlas. The arrows in the lower right corner image point toward the boosters falling away for the long plunge to the Atlantic Ocean.
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