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Amazon.com Inc is set to launch its first prototype internet satellites for its Kuiper program next month. The company has changed its plans and will now use a dedicated Atlas V rocket from the United Launch Alliance (ULA), which is a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed. The targeted launch date is September 26.

Originally, Amazon had planned to launch the satellites on ULA’s new Vulcan rocket. However, due to delays in Vulcan’s development, the company decided to switch rides again to ensure that it meets its regulatory deadline of deploying half of its planned 3,200 satellites by 2026. Vulcan’s target launch date is now expected to be in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Amazon’s Kuiper program aims to provide global internet coverage from space and is seen as a competitor to Elon Musk’s Starlink network. Amazon has committed billion to the satellite internet project and has secured 83 launches in 2022, making it the largest commercial launch procurement ever.

Of the 83 launches, nine will use the Atlas V rocket. ULA has stopped selling the Atlas V and has 19 more missions before the rocket retires. The company does not plan to order more of the rocket’s Russian-made RD-180 engines. It is unclear whether the September launch counts as one of the previously procured nine.

By launching its prototype internet satellites on the Atlas V rocket, Amazon is taking steps towards its goal of providing global internet coverage and competing with other established satellite internet networks.

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