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Amazon has announced that it will deploy its Project Kuiper prototype satellites using an Atlas V rocket due to time constraints and developmental delays with the Vulcan Centaur rocket. Project Kuiper aims to provide fast and affordable broadband internet access to regions around the world, similar to SpaceX’s Starlink. Amazon’s license with the Federal Communications Commission requires the launch of half of Project Kuiper by 2026 and the entire constellation of 3,236 satellites to low Earth orbit by 2029.

The Vulcan Centaur rocket, designed to replace ULA’s Atlas IV and Delta V rockets, has faced setbacks in its development. After a four-year delay caused by the overdue delivery of BE-4 engines from Blue Origin, ULA is now addressing an issue with the rocket’s upper stage that led to a significant explosion earlier this year. Once operational, the Vulcan Centaur is expected to lift up to 27.2 metric tons to low Earth orbit and 6.5 metric tons to geosynchronous orbit.

Amazon initially planned to deploy the Project Kuiper prototypes using ABL Space Systems’ RS1 rocket but switched to ULA following developmental hitches and a failed maiden launch. Amazon has invested 0 million in the construction of a satellite processing hub at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in preparation for the project.

The upcoming mission will involve testing the prototypes named Kuipersat-1 and Kuipersat-2 in space. If successful, ULA will assist in launching a megaconstellation across 46 missions using both Atlas V and Vulcan Centaur rockets. ULA is also responsible for launching the Peregrine lunar lander, funded by NASA, which will deliver 11 payloads to the Moon. Additionally, ULA has contracts to launch 35 missions for the U.S. Space Force in the future.

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