CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, FL – The most powerful version of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket thundered aloft from Florida’s Space Coast on Monday evening April 28 and successfully delivered the 1st batch of Amazons Kuiper constellation commercial comsats to orbit – setting up a direct head-to-head competition with the already well-established SpaceX Starlink satellite system.
Under threatening but mostly clear skies the near sunset ULA blastoff offered a stunning space spectacle as the Atlas V 551 rocket roared off Space Launch Complex-41 at 7:01 p.m. EDT, on the Kuiper-1 mission delivering the 1st batch of 27 operational Amazon Kuiper commercial comsats to orbit – thereby initiate the Kuiper orbital constellation of broadband internet satellites.
The Atlas V launched in it most powerful 551 configuration known as “The Bruiser” – spewing over 2.5 million pounds of liftoff thrust from the first stage powered by a dual nozzle RD-180 engine and 5 strap on solid rocket boosters SRBs.
The Atlas V launches on a northeasterly trajectory up the US East Coast.
Kuiper-1 marks the first of many full-scale launches in service of Amazon’s Project Kuiper under contract to ULA
The Kuiper constellation will eventually comprise over 3200 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).
The Kuiper satellites will be launched across 98 orbital planes at 590 km, 610 km and 630 km in altitude.
These first 27 Kuiper satellites were deployed at an altitude of 280 miles (450 kilometers) above Earth.
“Project Kuiper is Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite broadband network. Its mission is to provide fast, reliable internet to customers around the world, including those in unserved and underserved communities, using a constellation of more than 3,200 LEO satellites.”
Project Kuiper’s Kuiper-1 satellite payload counts as the heaviest payload ULA’s Atlas V rocket has ever flown
To date SpaceX Starlink constellation consists of over 7000 satellites already in orbit and serving over 5 million customers
Thus Amazon Kuiper has a long way to go to catch up and compete with SpaceX Starlink broadband internet satellite service.
“This launch marks the first step towards the future of our partnership and increased launch cadence. We have been steadily modifying our launch facilities in Cape Canaveral to support the capacity for future Project Kuiper missions in a manner that will ultimately benefit both our commercial and government customers as we endeavor to save lives, explore the universe and connect the world,” said Tory Bruno, ULA president and CEO.
“The addition of a second launch processing capability allows for dual, simultaneous launch processing between both integration facilities seamlessly.”
ULA previously launched two Kuipersat prototypes in 2023.
Another seven launches are planned aboard Atlas V.
Most however will be launched by the next-generation Vulcan rocket for 38 high-cadence, rapid-fire launches, “positioning ULA to deliver more than half of the constellation’s more than 3,200 satellites through the world’s largest commercial launch agreement,” ULA.
Other launch providers include Blue Origin, SpaceX and Arianespace.
“The satellites flying on KA-01 are a significant upgrade from the two prototype satellites we successfully tested during our Protoflight mission in October 2023. We have improved the performance of every system and sub-system on board, including phased array antennas, processors, solar arrays, propulsion systems, and optical inter-satellite links. In addition, the satellites are coated in a dielectric mirror film unique to Kuiper that scatters reflected sunlight to help make them less visible to ground-based astronomers,” says Amazon.
Enjoy our prelaunch and launch photos from the Space UpClose team of Ken Kremer and Jean Wright
“We’ve designed some of the most advanced communications satellites ever built, and every launch is an opportunity to add more capacity and coverage to our network,” said Rajeev Badyal, vice president of Project Kuiper.
“We’ve done extensive testing on the ground to prepare for this first mission, but there are some things you can only learn in flight, and this will be the first time we’ve flown our final satellite design and the first time we’ve deployed so many satellites at once. No matter how the mission unfolds, this is just the start of our journey, and we have all the pieces in place to learn and adapt as we prepare to launch again and again over the coming years.”
The Atlas V booster is 12.5 ft (3.8 m) in diameter and 106.5 ft (32.5 m) in length. The booster’s tanks are structurally rigid and constructed of isogrid aluminum barrels, spun-formed aluminum domes and intertank skirts.
Booster propulsion is provided by the RD-180 engine system (a single engine with two thrust chambers). The RD-180 burns RP-1 (Rocket Propellant-1 or highly purified kerosene) and liquid oxygen and delivers 860,200 lbs (3.83 mega-Newtons) of thrust at sea level. Five solid rocket boosters (SRBs) generate the additional power required at liftoff, with each providing 371,550 lbs (1.6 mega-Newtons) of thrust.
The Centaur avionics system, provides guidance, flight control and vehicle sequencing functions during the booster and Centaur phases of flight.
The Centaur second stage is 10 ft (3 m) in diameter and 41.5 ft (12.6 m) in length. Its propellant tanks are pressure-stabilized and constructed of corrosion-resistant stainless steel.
Centaur is a cryogenic vehicle, fueled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, powered by an RL10A-4-2 engine producing 22,600 lbs (100.5 kilo-Newtons) of thrust. The cryogenic tanks are insulated with a combination of helium-purged blankets, radiation shields and spray-on foam insulation (SOFI). The Centaur forward adapter (CFA) provides structural mountings for the fault-tolerant avionics system and structural and electrical interfaces with the spacecraft.
Apr 28/29: WESH 2 NBC News Orlando: Watch my prelaunch interview comments on April 28 about ULA Atlas V Amazon Kuiper 1 mission to launch and deploy 1st 27 operational Kuiper internet sats to compete with Starlink. Also featured 2 of my prelaunch rocket photos at pad 41 CCSFS
story/video: https://www.wesh.com/article/amazon-slaunching-own-satellites-space-project-kuiper-ula/64612880
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