United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched its Atlas 5 rocket on Monday, carrying 27 of Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet satellites into low Earth orbit. This was the second production batch to be launched this year and marks a significant step towards creating a constellation of over 3,200 satellites.
The launch, dubbed Kuiper 2 by ULA, follows a nitrogen purge issue that caused a scrub on June 16 and required the rocket to be returned to the Vertical Integration Facility. The rocket’s booster engine was fixed, and liftoff occurred at 6:54 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Amazon purchased nine Atlas 5 rockets for its Project Kuiper constellation, with six remaining in production. The company aims to launch at least half of its first-generation constellation by the end of July 2026, according to its agreement with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The successful launch brings Amazon’s total satellite count to 54 out of 1,600 needed within a year. ULA will deploy the satellites at an altitude of 280 miles above Earth, and the Project Kuiper team will take over command of the mission from their operations center in Redmond, Washington.
Amazon is under pressure to meet its regulatory deadline, and a key test for the company will be how quickly it can retrieve its satellites from orbit. The launch marks an important step towards creating a global internet constellation, with Vulcan rockets expected to follow in the near future.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/06/22/live-coverage-ula-to-launch-kuiper-2-mission-on-atlas-5-rocket-from-cape-canaveral