An Atlas V rocket of United Launch Alliance took off from Estação of Cabo Canaveral’s Força Espacial on Flórida on Monday night (April 27), carrying 29 of Amazon’s internet satellites. The mission reached a significant milestone: equaling the record for the heaviest payload ever carried by Atlas V, at 18 tons.
The launch took place at 8:53 pm EDT (00:53 GMT on April 28) and managed to place all spacecraft into low Earth orbit over the course of ten separate deployments, which began about 21 minutes after liftoff and ended 16 minutes later. The operation was successful and marked the sixth mission carried out by United Launch Alliance on behalf of Amazon.
Constelação Amazon Leo moves towards completion
The mission, called Amazon Leo 6, is part of the construction project of the Amazon Leo broadband megaconstellation in low Earth orbit. The project — previously called Projeto Kuiper — will consist of more than 3,200 satellites when complete, rivaling SpaceX’s Starlink constellation.
Até At the moment, only 10 of the more than 80 launches required to complete the network have been executed. The Atlas V performed six of them, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched three, and Arianespace’s Ariane 6 rocket completed one. Arianespace has a new Amazon Leo mission scheduled for Wednesday (April 29) from Guiana Francesa.
The first four Atlas V missions in the Amazon Leo constellation sent 27 satellites into space. The Amazon Leo 5 mission, launched on April 4, brought that number to 29 and set the previous record for heaviest rocket payload: 18 tons. Monday’s launch equaled that mark.
Histórico of Atlas V rocket records
The Atlas V rocket has been a fundamental asset for Amazon in the development of its space infrastructure. Desde the first launches of the Leo constellation, the vehicle has demonstrated the ability to carry significant payloads with precision. The configuration used in recent missions represents one of the heaviest configurations of the Atlas V in operation.
- Load Peso: 18 tons
- Satellite Número: 29 per mission
- Target Órbita: Terrestre low (LEO)
- Tempo total deployment: 16 minutes
- Missões Amazon Leo via Atlas V: 6 (until April 27)
Corrida by global internet infrastructure
Competition for supremacy in satellite connectivity has heated up in recent years. Amazon recognizes the challenge represented by SpaceX’s Starlink, which already has thousands of operational satellites. Amazon Leo, however, adopts its own strategy, with diversified launch partnerships involving multiple rocket providers.
Engagement with different aerospace companies — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX and Arianespace — provides redundancy and flexibility to the launch schedule. Essa approach reduces dependency on a single vendor and accelerates network deployment.
Próximos steps and timeline
Analistas of the space industry estimates that completion of the Amazon Leo constellation will still take several years, considering the current pace of launches. The planned cadence includes continuous operations in multiple cosmodromes and with different launch platforms, ensuring that no technological or logistical bottlenecks compromise the progress of the megaproject.
Atlas V’s sixth Amazon Leo mission reaffirms the vehicle’s reliability and its strategic importance for architecting the next generation of global satellite connectivity.