Friday's ULA launch for Amazon clears path for next SpaceX mission on Sunday
For only the third time this year, United Launch Alliance sent a rocket to space from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday afternoon — this time on a mission to support Amazon's planned satellite internet constellation.
At 2:06 p.m. EDT, a powerful 196-foot Atlas V rocket roared away from Launch Complex 41 to carry the prototype KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 satellites to orbit for Amazon, marking the 54th launch from Florida's Space Coast this year.
“This initial launch is the first step in support of deployment of Amazon’s initiative to provide fast, affordable broadband service to unserved and underserved communities around the world,” Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs, said in a release.
With ULA wrapping up the work week with a launch on Friday, the path is now cleared for SpaceX to close out the weekend with another Falcon 9 mission slated for liftoff Sunday night in support of SpaceX's Starlink global internet service.
Amazon's first satellite mission
Friday's mission, dubbed Project Kuiper Protoflight, was the first in a series of nine Atlas V flights to construct Amazon's Project Kuiper constellation - the latest competitor to enter the market of global internet service connectivity from space.
“This is Amazon’s first time putting satellites into space, and we’re going to learn an incredible amount regardless of how the mission unfolds," Rajeev Badyal, Project Kuiper’s vice president of technology, said in a release.
The pair of satellites launched Friday afternoon serve as a testbed to inform future design, deployment, and operational plans. Full-scale deployment over the next six years is expected to begin in 2024.
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The planned constellation will consist of over 3,200 satellites operating in low Earth orbit — about 1,200 miles above Earth's surface — to deliver internet service to unserved and underserved locations worldwide.
In total, Amazon has secured flights on 77 heavy-class rockets to deploy its Project Kuiper constellation with ULA, Blue Origin, and Arianspace — including nine of those missions slated to fly on Atlas V rockets and 38 launches on ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket.
“I’m proud of the entire Project Kuiper team for getting us to this point and grateful for their contributions,” Badyal said. “The hard work that goes into building a new space system from scratch is tremendous, but this team has dedicated themselves to the goal of delivering affordable broadband to those who need it.”
Amazon expects beta testing of the service to begin by the end of 2024.
When is the next rocket launch from Florida?
Another SpaceX Starlink mission with more of the company's internet satellites is expected to launch as early as Sunday night from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX announced late Sunday that the Starlink 6-22 mission is set for liftoff at 11:38 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 40. Teams have a window that extends until 1 a.m. EDT Monday if needed.
For a launch overnight Sunday, the National Weather Service in Melbourne calls for mostly cloudy conditions around the spaceport with a less than 20% chance of showers. Wind from the north is expected to be breezy at around 10 mph. A forecast from the Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron was not immediately available.
For the latest schedule updates, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Contact Jamie Groh at [email protected] and follow her on X at @AlteredJamie.
Launch Sunday, October 8
Company / Agency: Internal SpaceX mission
Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Time: 11:38 p.m. EDT
Trajectory: Southeast
Weather: 80% "go"
Landing: Drone ship
Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space
About: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the company's latest batch of Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Friday's ULA launch for Amazon clears path for SpaceX mission Sunday
