US ULA Plans to Launch 29 Amazon Leo Satellites on July 2

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The United Launch Alliance (ULA) plans to launch another batch of Amazon low Earth orbit internet satellites (Amazon Leo) using an Atlas V rocket early Thursday, July 2, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The rocket model for this launch is the Atlas V 551, the most powerful configuration in the series. It is equipped with five solid rocket boosters, a 5-meter wide payload fairing, and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. The mission, named "Amazon Leo 8," plans to deliver 29 operational satellites into orbit, with a launch window opening at 12:24 a.m. Eastern Time and lasting 29 minutes.

Amazon Leo is a low Earth orbit broadband satellite constellation built by Amazon, ultimately comprising approximately 3,200 satellites, designed to compete with SpaceX's Starlink network. To date, about 370 Amazon Leo satellites have been placed into orbit across 14 missions, using three different rockets: the Atlas V, SpaceX's Falcon 9, and Arianespace's Ariane 6.

The Atlas V is the most active of these three rockets for Amazon launches, having completed eight missions for the constellation. The constellation was originally named "Project Kuiper." It should be noted that the first Atlas V launch carried two prototype satellites rather than operational spacecraft, hence this mission is designated "Amazon Leo 8" rather than "Amazon Leo 9."

The 29 satellites launching on Thursday weigh approximately 18 tons in total, tying the record for the heaviest payload ever launched by an Atlas V rocket. This record was originally set by the "Amazon Leo 5" mission in early April this year and has since been matched multiple times.