Amazon Leo 6: ULA Atlas V Launches 29 Internet Satellites, Ties Record For The Rocket's Heaviest Payload

United Launch Alliance (ULA) launched an Atlas V 551 rocket carrying 29 Amazon Leo broadband satellites from Space Launch Complex 41(SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on Tuesday (April 28), at 0053 UTC.

The Atlas V 551 variant utilized five solid rocket boosters and a 5.4-meter payload fairing to deliver the 29 satellites into an initial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at 450 km. Following deployment, the satellites will use their Hall-effect thrusters to raise themselves to their operational altitude of 630 km in an orbit with a 51.9-degree inclination.

Amazon Leo 6 (LA-06) mission marked the tenth launch for the Amazon Leo constellation and represented the heaviest payload ever flown by the Atlas V rocket, with a combined satellite mass of approximately 18 tons.

The first four Atlas V Amazon Leo missions sent 27 of the broadband satellites skyward. Amazon Leo 5, which launched on April 4, boosted that number to 29 and set a new record for the heaviest payload ever flown by an Atlas V in the process - 18 tons. Tuesday's launch was part of a rapid "continuous roll-and-launch" campaign.

A rival to SpaceX's Starlink, Amazon Leo, formerly known as Project Kuiper, is managed by Kuiper Systems LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon, with the goal of providing global high-speed internet to underserved communities. The constellation is planned to consist of 3,276 satellites distributed across 98 orbital planes at altitudes of 590 km, 610 km, and 630 km.

As of Tuesday's launch, ULA has deployed 139 satellites for the program, while other missions have utilized SpaceX Falcon and Arianespace Ariane rockets. More than 80 launches are required to complete the full constellation.