It’s been nearly seven months since the United Launch Alliance made its final rocket launch, but the company’s first flight in 2025 could have come true on Monday night.
The Kuiper 1 mission ULA Atlas V is a mission carrying 27 of Amazon’s satellites for the project’s Kuiper Broadband Internet Constellation, targeting the liftoff when it opened a two-hour launch window from the Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 7pm.
Space-released Delta 45 weather squadrons are predicted 75% chance due to good launch conditions.
The launch attempt will take more than two weeks from the first try hampered by weather forcing the scrub.
Since ULA’s CERT-2 mission of the new Vulcan rocket, which flew on October 4, 2024, ULA wanted to obtain Vulcan prompt certification. However, the certification process has been growing for several months and will only come on March 26th.
The delay forced ULA to pivot and line up Amazon’s commercial missions in one of the few remaining Atlas V Rockets.
Space Coast Release Schedule
Since ULA was last released, Space Coast has released SpaceX 59 times and Blue Origin once. ULA was released five times in 2024 and three times in 2023. In March, CEO Tory Bruno said he hoped ULA would fly 12 missions in 2025.
Amazon bought nine of the final Atlas V Rockets and used one in October 2023 to send a pair of test satellites from Project Kuiper. Amazon has opened up its design and is well-prepared to prepare enough satellites.
After Kuiper 1, ULA still has 14 more flagship rockets, including seven more set up for Amazon. One will only be one for the communications satellites of commercial company Viasat that can be released this year, and six will be set aside for the future Boeing Starliner launch.
Retirement comes when it appears that the Vulcan takes over, along with the already retired Delta IV class rocket. ULA already has 70 launches for new rockets, including 38 from Amazon.
However, Amazon’s Vulcan launch may not start until all Atlas V missions fly.
Amazon is trying to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink Satellite Service and has a Federal Communications Commission license to operate 3,232 satellites. However, FCC requirements require half of the implementation by July 2026, all of which have been set up by 2028.
So, in addition to ULA, Amazon has lined up dozens more flights with blue origins, Arianespace and even SpaceX.
SpaceX already has around 6,500 StarLink satellites in operational orbit serving more than 5 million customers around the world.
Amazon’s satellites are built in Washington, but final processing takes place in Florida. Amazon has a new facility on the 80-acre site at the former shuttle landing facility at the Kennedy Space Center, and plans to take over that final process, aiming to acquire a satellite supply chain in time for the FCC deadline.
Meanwhile, ULA continues to build a second rocket integrated building on the SLC-41, keeping up with the Department of Defense mission backlog while juggling commercial launches needed by Amazon and other customers and more.
Amazon expects to launch satellite internet services to its customers by the end of the year.
