Atlas V Kuiper 2: ULA Launches 2nd Batch Of Amazon's Project Kuiper Satellites

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 551 rocket successfully lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 23, at 1054 UTC), carrying 27 spacecraft for Amazon's Project Kuiper constellation.

The Atlas V Kuiper 2(or KA-02) mission marked the second dedicated launch for Project Kuiper, delivering another set of satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) to support the growing constellation.

The Atlas V's Centaur upper stage deployed the satellites at an altitude of 450 kilometers(km) above Earth, at which point the Kuiper team took over command of the mission from our 24/7 mission operations center in Redmond, Washington, completing routine vehicle health checks before ultimately raising the satellites to their assigned orbit of 630 km above Earth.

Monday's launch was originally scheduled for June 16 but was delayed due to an Atlas V engine issue.

ULA is set to conduct six more launches carrying Project Kuiper satellites before transitioning to its next-generation Vulcan Centaur rocket.

Project Kuiper aims to deploy over 3,200 LEO satellites to provide fast and affordable internet to customers worldwide, particularly in underserved and remote areas.

Amazon has committed to launching the majority of its Kuiper satellites aboard rockets from ULA, Blue Origin, and SpaceX under a series of agreements announced in 2022. This launch marked the second of 46 planned recurring missions for Project Kuiper.