The Centaur upper stage is brought to the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and placed atop the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in preparation to launch Amazon’s Project Kuiper Protoflight mission. Photo by United Launch Alliance
UPDATE: Everything continues to progress towards the ULA Atlas V launch carrying the Protoflight mission for Amazon’s Project Kuiper. The mission is planned to lift off on Fri., October 6 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The launch window opens at 2 p.m. EDT. Today’s forecast shows an 80 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for launch.
Launch Forecast Summary:
Overall probability of violating weather constraints: 20%
Primary concerns: Cumulus Cloud Rule, Surface Electric Fields Rule
Overall probability of violating weather constraints for 24-hour delay: 15%
Primary concern: Cumulus Cloud Rule
The launch of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 501 rocket carrying Amazon’s Project Kuiper Protoflight mission is planned for Fri., Oct. 6 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The launch window opens at 2 p.m. EDT.Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
Launch Date: October 6, 2023
Launch Window: Opens at 2 p.m. EDT
GO Atlas V! GO Centaur! GO Project Kuiper! GO Protoflight!
Launch status update
(Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., Sept. 28, 2023) – The launch of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 501 rocket carrying Amazon’s Project Kuiper Protoflight mission is planned for Fri., Oct. 6 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The launch window opens at 2 p.m. EDT.
Protoflight: Atlas V stacked ahead of first Kuiper launch
United Launch Alliance (ULA) uses heavy-duty cranes, teamwork and a lot of coordination to assemble our massive rockets before they head into space. That art of rocket stacking is both time-tested and an obligation to some passengers who require vertical integration of their payloads.
This week, engineers and technicians at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, completed the initial buildup of the Atlas V 501 rocket that will launch prototypes of the Project Kuiper broadband system for Amazon.
The satellites will add real-world data from space to results from Amazon’s extensive lab testing, fieldwork, and simulation. This Protoflight mission also helps Amazon finalize design, deployment and operational plans ahead of a full-scale deployment beginning in 2024.
Preparations for this first launch began Sept. 16 with the Launch Vehicle on Stand (LVOS) milestone.
Before sunrise, the move crew arrived at the Advanced Spaceflight Operations Center (ASOC) to configure the Atlas V first stage for its delivery to the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF), located about four miles up the road.
more information follows at this blog...