[UPDATED] Amazon’s Kuiper-1 Mission Launched On ULA’s Atlas V Rocket
4th Apr 2025![[UPDATED] Amazon’s Kuiper-1 Mission Launched On ULA’s Atlas V Rocket](https://orbitaltoday.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Project-Kuiper-launched.jpg.webp "[UPDATED] Amazon’s Kuiper-1 Mission Launched On ULA’s Atlas V Rocket")
On 9 April, Amazon will launch 27 of its communications satellites into orbit using United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket. Launching the Kuiper 1 mission is the first phase and a significant milestone for Amazon’s satellite communications project. The Kuiper project aims to deploy a constellation of satellites in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) to provide high-speed, low-latency internet worldwide.
ULA Sends Amzon Kuiper Mission To Space
Updated on 29th April
Amazon has officially kicked off its Project Kuiper satellite internet network by sending its first batch of operational satellites into low-Earth orbit. After a postponed initial launch attempt, a ULA Atlas V 551 rocket successfully lifted off from Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida.
The launch took place on Monday, 28th April, at 7:01 PM EDT (23:01 UTC). The rocket placed 27 satellites into a circular orbit 450 kilometres above Earth, inclined 51.9 degrees relative to the equator.
Kuiper 1 Mission Finally Gets A Launch Date
Updated on 28th April
ULA announced on Sunday on X that all systems are go for the Atlas V launch of Amazon’s Kuiper1 mission on Monday, 28th April, at 7 p.m. EDT.
Amazon Kuiper 1 Mission Overview
The Kuiper-1 or KA-1 (from Kuiper Atlas 1) mission will use United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V 551 rocket for its first launch.
ULA had previously launched two prototype Kuiper satellites into orbit for testing in October 2023. According to Amazon, the Kuiper satellite design has since undergone significant updates.
The company said it has improved the performance of all onboard systems and subsystems, including phased antenna arrays, processors, solar arrays, propulsion systems, and optical inter-satellite links.
In addition, the satellites are coated with a dielectric mirror film, unique to Kuiper, that scatters reflected sunlight, making them less visible to ground-based astronomers.
The 27 vehicles will be the heaviest payload launched on an Atlas V rocket in its most potent configuration – five solid rocket boosters plus a main booster – to launch satellites into low Earth orbit.
The design of the KA-1 mission involves safely placing the satellites into orbit and establishing ground-to-space communications. The satellites will then use their electric propulsion systems to enter their designated orbits at 630 kilometers altitude under the direction of the Kuiper project operations team in Redmond.
Benefits Of Working On LEO
First, it should allow Amazon’s internet satellites to provide lower latency than traditional communications constellations, which fly in a higher geosynchronous orbit and take longer to deliver packets to the surface.
The shorter distances also mean fewer resources are required to get the satellites into their operational orbits.
Amazon Kuiper Project: Dynamic And Ambitious
Amazon’s initiative, Project Kuipe, started being discussed in 2019.
The project’s codename pays homage to the late planetologist Gerard Kuiper and the solar system’s vast Kuiper ice belt.
Amazon has committed $10 billion to the Kuiper project, but outside estimates say the cost could reach $20 billion.
The primary purpose of Amazon’s satellite broadband network is to provide fast and reliable Internet to customers worldwide, including in unserved and underserved communities. “This is a long-term project to serve tens of millions of people without basic broadband access,” the company said.
In April 2019, the Federal Communications Commission’s three sets of documents filed with the International Telecommunications Union on behalf of Kuiper Systems LLC became public. In 2020, all authorisation documents for the Kuiper constellation were signed.
Should Starlink Be Worried?
The documents outlined a plan to place 3,236 satellites into low-Earth orbit within a few years, including 784 satellites at 590 kilometers, 1,296 satellites at 610 kilometers, and 1,156 satellites in a 630-kilometer orbit.
When the project is completed, Amazon’s constellation will cover most of the globe. The company says its satellites will transmit Internet access to the part of the planet where 95 percent of the world’s population lives.
Time will tell whether Amazon can keep up with the competition of low-altitude satellite broadband networks.
To do so, it will have to overtake existing market players. For example, SpaceX Corp.’s Starlink, which already has a constellation of more than 7,000 satellites in orbit, Eutelsat OneWeb, which has put more than 650 satellites into orbit, and China’s Spacesail, which is currently believed to have 36 satellites in orbit, though it eventually plans to have more than 15,000 in its constellation.
Amazon Kuiper 1: When Is The Launch Scheduled, And Where Can We Watch It?
The launch date is Wednesday, April 9, from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The three-hour launch window begins at noon EDT (1600 UTC).
ULA plans to broadcast the launch live on its website, beginning about 20 minutes before liftoff.
The broadcast can also be seen on ULA’s YouTube channel at the link below:
What’s Next?
The Federal Communications Commission requires the company to launch half its total constellation of 1,618 satellites by the end of July 2026 and the rest by July 2029.
Amazon has contracts with several launch providers. After some shareholders threatened to sue them for not using the most cost-effective provider, they even awarded several contracts to SpaceX.
Kuiper has 46 launches planned with ULA. Amazon has also purchased 18 launches on Arianespace’s Ariane 6 rocket, 12 launches on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket with the option to add 15 more, and three launches on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
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