- United Launch Alliance reschedules the launch of Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites for April 28th.
- Future launches are planned with ULA’s Vulcan Centaur, Arianespace, Blue Origin, and SpaceX.
- The original launch attempt on April 9th was scrubbed due to weather conditions.
After a weather-related scrub earlier this month, United Launch Alliance crews have rescheduled the first launch of Amazon’s Project Kuiper production satellites into low-Earth orbit for April 28.
The Atlas V rocket is scheduled for liftoff at 7 p.m., the opening of a two-hour launch window, from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
This rocket is equipped with five solid rocket boosters for added liftoff power — the 27 satellites represent the heaviest payload the rocket has ever flown.
What is Project Kuiper? The upcoming liftoff will kick off a full-scale deployment of more than 3,200 satellites delivering high-speed internet around the world to customer terminal antennas.
Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
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“Over the next few years, Kuiper and ULA teams will conduct seven more Atlas V launches and 38 launches on ULA’s larger Vulcan Centaur rocket,” an Amazon blog post said.
“An additional 30-plus launches are planned across our other launch providers: Arianespace, Blue Origin, and SpaceX,” the post said.
The Atlas V was originally scheduled to launch on April 9 — a gusty, overcast day at Cape Canaveral — but encroaching cumulus clouds forced a scrub.
Amazon reported more than 2,000 people are working on Project Kuiper.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at[email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
