Atlas V Delivers Initial Project Kuiper Prototype Satellites
Atlas V Delivers Initial Project Kuiper Prototype Satellites
Launched Friday from Cape Canaveral, FL
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the Protoflight mission for Amazon’s Project Kuiper lifted off on Oct. 6 at 2:06 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. To date, ULA has launched 158 times with 100 percent mission success. The Protoflight launch is the first mission in a broader commercial partnership between ULA and Amazon to launch the majority of the Project Kuiper constellation.
“The launch today started a new phase of our Protoflight mission, and there’s a long way to go, but it’s an exciting milestone all the same.”
Rajeev Badyal, Project Kuiper
“This initial launch is the first step in support of deployment of Amazon’s initiative to provide fast, affordable broadband service to unserved and underserved communities around the world,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. “We have worked diligently in partnership with the Project Kuiper team to launch this important mission that will help connect the world. We look forward to continuing and building on the partnership for future missions.”
According to Amazon, the first major mission milestone was achieved at 2:53 p.m. EDT when the mission operations center in Redmond, Washington, confirmed first contact with KuiperSat-2. This is when the satellite and one of the Project Kuiper telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C) antennas established a telemetry link for the first time. The first contact was made with KuiperSat-1 at 2:54 p.m. EDT.
First contact is one of several key steps in the Protoflight mission. It allows the downlink of data on satellite health and the establishment of more regular communications with the satellites.
“The launch today started a new phase of our Protoflight mission, and there’s a long way to go, but it’s an exciting milestone all the same,” said Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology for Project Kuiper. “I’m tremendously grateful to the Project Kuiper team for their dedication in getting us to this point, and to our partners at United Launch Alliance who helped us deploy our first spacecraft ever into orbit.”
ULA’s next launch is the inaugural Vulcan mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The next generation Vulcan rocket will offer unprecedented flexibility in a single system with streamlined operations and greater affordability, while continuing to provide unmatched reliability and orbital precision.