SPACE VIEW PARK, FL – Thick clouds greeted the 48 hour weather delayed liftoff of the 4th batch of operational broadband satellites for the Amazon Leo constellation in the ‘dead-of-night’ aboard the most powerful version of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla early Tuesday, Dec. 16.
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the Leo 4 mission comprising 27 operational broadband satellites for the Amazon Leo constellation lifted off Dec. 16 at 3:28 a.m. EST (0828 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL.
We watched from Space View Park, Titusville, FL as the Atlas V rocket flew on a north-easterly trajectory
Unfortunately our view was almost completely obscured after a few seconds by thick clouds that sadly rolled in over the Cape in the final minutes.
Elsewhere the view was much better!
Enjoy our photos taken by Ken Kremer for Space UpClose.
Payload deployments began at about T plus 20 minutes and concluded successfully 15 minutes later at about T plus 35 minutes.
“This mission demonstrates the strong partnership between ULA and Amazon to accurately and rapidly launch and deliver innovation solutions for global connectivity,” said ULA.
“One of our primary missions at ULA is to be a catalyst in connecting the world,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Atlas and Vulcan programs. “Partnering with Amazon contributes to their mission of bridging the global digital gap. We thank the Amazon Leo team for their continued collaboration.”
Altogether this brings the total number of Leo satellites launched by ULA to 108.
The Amazon Leo 4 launch deployed another batch of operational satellites into low Earth orbit.
There are over multiple remaining Amazon Leo missions on the Atlas V rocket, as well as 38 high-cadence, rapid fire launches on ULAs next-generation Vulcan rocket.
ULA will deliver more than half of Amazon’s initial constellation 3,000 plus satellites, “Through the world’s largest commercial launch agreement,” says ULA
The Amazon Leo payloads are the heaviest ever carried by Atlas V at 34,000 pounds (15,400 kg).
The satellites ride into space attached to a special dispensing tower and release at predetermined intervals, representing the most separation events ever performed in a single Atlas launch, said ULA.
The prior Atlas V 551 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 at 8:09 a.m. EDT (1209 UTC), on Sept. 25 for the then named Kuiper-3 mission delivering another batch of 27 operational Amazon Kuiper commercial comsats to orbit – thereby fortifying the growing Kuiper orbital constellation of broadband internet satellites.
ULA launches the Leo sats to an altitude of 280 miles (450 kilometers)
After checkout they will be raised to their assigned orbit of 392 miles (630 km) altitude above Earth.
The LEO satellites are manufactured in Kirkland, Washington, then flown to an Amazon satellite processing facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
This sets up a new broadband internet system for direct head-to-head competition with the already well-established SpaceX Starlink satellite system – comprising over 8000 orbiting satellites in LEO.
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