SpaceX is set to launch a batch of Amazon’s broadband satellites on Sunday (Aug. 10), marking the fourth Kuiper liftoff and bringing the total number of satellites in the new constellation to 102. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 spacecraft will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 8:57 a.m. ET.
The launch was originally scheduled for Saturday, but it was delayed due to poor weather conditions. SpaceX will stream the launch live on its website and X account, starting about 15 minutes before liftoff.
This is one of many launches planned by SpaceX this year, which aims to break the company’s single-year record of 138 launches. Over 70% of Falcon 9 launches have been dedicated to building out Starlink, SpaceX’s broadband megaconstellation in low Earth orbit (LEO). The company has already launched over 96 Falcon 9 missions this year and 99 flights overall.
The Project Kuiper constellation will eventually consist of over 3,200 spacecraft, which will be lofted on more than 80 launches over the next few years. Amazon’s version of Starlink, Kuiper, is still in the early buildout stage and has enlisted a variety of rockets to do this work, including Falcon 9, Arianespace’s Ariane 6, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, and United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V and Vulcan Centaur.
The Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff, landing on the SpaceX drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas.” The upper stage will continue carrying the satellites to LEO, which will be deployed over a 7.5-minute span beginning about 56 minutes after liftoff.
The launch is expected to provide internet connectivity to remote and underserved areas around the world.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/falcon-9-rocket-launches-amazon-project-kuiper-internet-satellites-spacex-100th-mission-2025