Mission Highlight: United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V delivers Kuiper 2 satellites for Amazon
United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched its Atlas V 551 rocket on Monday, June 23, at 6:54 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 41, carrying the second batch of satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper. The mission deployed 27 broadband satellites into a 630-kilometer low Earth orbit with a 51.9° inclination. Kuiper 2 was the heaviest payload ever flown by an Atlas V — an estimated 34,000 pounds (15,400 kg).
Project Kuiper aims to bring reliable, high-speed internet to underserved communities worldwide, eventually building a network of more than 3,200 satellites. Today’s flight follows April’s Kuiper debut launch and is part of a broader contract between Amazon and ULA that includes 8 Atlas V and 38 Vulcan missions. This morning’s launch adds momentum to Amazon’s growing presence in the satellite internet race.
Last week’s recap
Blue Origin’s NS-33 suborbital mission was delayed due to high winds, with launch attempts scrubbed on both June 21 and 22. The company has not yet announced a new target date.
SpaceX suffered a serious setback on June 18 when Starship Ship 36 exploded during a static-fire test at Starbase in Texas. The failure destroyed the vehicle and damaged the test stand. Preliminary reports suggest a composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) in the nosecone may have ruptured, causing a total loss. This marks the fourth Starship failure of the year.
In more encouraging news, Honda quietly advanced its space ambitions. On June 17, the company launched a small, reusable test rocket to around 890 feet (271.4 meters) and landed it within 15 inches (37 centimeters) of its target. The milestone brings Honda closer to its goal of operating a suborbital launch vehicle by 2029.
Other missions this week
SpaceX’s Transporter-14 rideshare mission is now scheduled to lift off on Monday, June 23, at 5:18 p.m. EDT from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It will carry around 70 payloads to a Sun-synchronous orbit, supporting a wide range of commercial and scientific customers.
Rocket Lab returns to flight with its “Symphony in the Stars” mission, targeting a June 24 launch from Mahia, New Zealand. The Electron rocket will deliver a single payload to a 400-mile-high (650 kilometers) Sun-synchronous orbit.
SpaceX continues its aggressive Starlink cadence with three missions expected.
Starlink Group 10-16 is set to launch on Wednesday, June 25, at 12:33 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40, carrying v2-mini satellites to low Earth orbit aboard a Falcon 9.
Starlink Group 10-34 will launch on Friday, June 27, at 12:48 a.m. EDT, with a Falcon 9 launching more v2-mini satellites to low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral.
Starlink Group 15-7 is scheduled for Saturday, June 28 at 12:43 p.m. from Vandenberg’s SLC-4E, deploying another batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.
Looking ahead
Russia’s Progress MS‑31 cargo spacecraft is set to launch aboard a Soyuz 2.1a from Baikonur on Thursday, July 3, at 1:31 p.m. EDT. The mission will deliver supplies to the International Space Station for its 184th Progress flight.
