Latest news with #Kuiper-1
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches Amazon's First Operational Satellites
Atlas V precisely delivers the first grouping of operational broadband satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper constellation. CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, Fla., April 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the Kuiper-1 mission for Amazon's Project Kuiper lifted off on April 28 at 7:01 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Kuiper 1 launch marks the beginning of full-scale deployment of the Kuiper constellation and a new chapter in the commercial launch industry as Amazon partners with ULA to deliver a majority of its advanced satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO). "This launch is an incredible milestone in Amazon's ambitious initiative to provide fast, reliable broadband service to unserved and underserved communities around the world," said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. "We have worked diligently with the Project Kuiper team to place this important mission on orbit and are grateful for the opportunity to continue building upon this dynamic partnership." In addition to the successful launch of two Kuipersat prototypes in 2023 and another seven launches aboard Atlas V, Project Kuiper will leverage the next-generation Vulcan rocket for 38 high-cadence, rapid-fire launches, positioning ULA to deliver more than half of the constellation's more than 3,200 satellites through the world's largest commercial launch agreement. "This launch marks the first step towards the future of our partnership and increased launch cadence. We have been steadily modifying our launch facilities in Cape Canaveral to support the capacity for future Project Kuiper missions in a manner that will ultimately benefit both our commercial and government customers as we endeavor to save lives, explore the universe and connect the world," said Tory Bruno, ULA president and CEO. "The addition of a second launch processing capability allows for dual, simultaneous launch processing between both integration facilities seamlessly." For two decades, ULA has served as the custodian of America's national security space mission. Our rockets fly to the most challenging and exotic orbits the nation requires, while delivering the most accurate payload insertions in the world. ULA continues to carry this unique capability forward with the new Vulcan rocket, the latest and most advanced vehicle of this type. Utilizing an innovative, modular architectural approach, Vulcan has expanded into the commercial LEO marketplace, providing efficient access to all orbits into the foreseeable future. With even more innovative technology on our horizon, the sky is definitely not the limit. For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at and join the conversation on social media @ulalaunch. Mission webpage Mission Photo Album Link View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE United Launch Alliance (ULA) Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
70% chance of favorable weather for this evening's ULA launch from Florida
April 28 (UPI) -- United Launch Alliance on Monday plans to launch Amazon's first 27 satellites after earlier launch plans were scrubbed nearly three weeks ago because of inclement weather in Florida. Liftoff for Kuiper-1 is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. There is a two-hour launch window, and it can be pushed back to Tuesday in case of bad weather again or technical problems. There is a 10-mile ring around the launch site for weather considerations. On Monday, weather conditions were listed as 70% favorable, according to ULA. The 106.5-foot Atlas 551 booster will put 27 Kuiper satellites into orbit at an altitude of 280 miles for high-speed Internet access to millions of people around the world. The Atlas V 551 rocket is configured with five side-mounted solid rocket boosters and a medium-length payload fairing, according to ULA. The rocket elements were assembled inside the Vertical Integration Facility adjacent to the launch pad. Amazon plans to launch 3,232 Kuiper satellites by 2029, including half by mid-2026. The Federal Communications Commission in February 2023 approved the entire Project Kuiper after ULA dealt with the risks of orbital debris. Last week, ULA President and CEO Tony Bruno said the company is targeting late spring or early summer for its next Kuiper Atlas launch. The company also is planning its first national security mission via a Vulcan rocket. In October 2023, ULA launched two prototype Kuiper satellites into orbit for testing. Amazon is building the satellites in Kirkland, Wash. "We've designed some of the most advanced communications satellites ever built, and every launch is an opportunity to add more capacity and coverage to our network," Rajeev Badyal, vice president of Project Kuiper, said in a pre-launch blog posting. "We've done extensive testing on the ground to prepare for this first mission, but there are some things you can only learn in flight, and this will be the first time we've flown our final satellite design and the first time we've deployed so many satellites at once." Rival SpaceX has launched 7,000 Starlink satellites for more than 5 million subscribers. Also, Eutelsat OneWeb also is entering the market for low Earth orbit satellites for internet usage. United Launch Alliance LLC was formed in December 2006 as a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Amazon's stock has surprising upsides
Listen and subscribe to Opening Bid on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Despite a so-so fourth quarter, the bulls are still supporting Amazon (AMZN) amid a risk-off move in the Magnificent 7. "There's two reasons specifically that I would call out ... The first one is Amazon Web Services [sales] number in the fourth quarter was essentially in line with expectations, despite the fact that Azure AWS is facing near-term capacity constraints," Morgan Stanley managing director Brian Nowak told me on Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid podcast (video above; listen in below). "The second opportunity, and I think that the largest misunderstood opportunity when it comes to Amazon is all of their generative AI investments they're making on the retail business. The company did a really good job at laying out all the improvements they're making to their suggestion algorithms, to their advertising products through new diffusion models, the way in which their inventory management is getting better, the way in which they're integrating robots." The stock could grind higher as investors price in an improved margin outlook for the retail business, Nowak said. Amazon's fourth quarter had several bearish points, which weighed on the stock — shares fell 4.1% on Feb. 7, the morning after earnings. But the stock has since found firmer footing. About those bearish points. First, Amazon's first quarter outlook came up short. Amazon guided to first quarter revenue of between $151 billion and $155 billion. Analysts were anticipating $158 billion; the miss was partially due to a $2.1 billion expected hit from currency fluctuations. Yahoo Finance data shows analysts have since settled into a first quarter revenue range for Amazon of $153 billion to $158 billion. Second, similar to Microsoft (MSFT) and Meta (META), Amazon unveiled a whopper of a capital spending guide. It sees $104 billion in capital expenditures this year, well above analyst forecasts at the time of $80 billion to $85 billion. And lastly, Amazon Web Services (AWS) sales cooled a touch to a 19% year-over-year growth rate. The result was consistent with cloud growth slowdowns at the likes of Microsoft. Perhaps initially overlooked was that Amazon had a good quarter overall. AWS posted its third straight quarter of 19% sales growth. Margins for the cloud services business rose to 46.9% from 29.6% last year. And Amazon delivered its highest quarterly operating income ever at $21.2 billion. Nowak tells me he sees two near-term catalysts for Amazon's stock. One, a Feb. 26 Alexa event in NYC, where an Alexa agent called Rufus could be released. And two, Amazon's coming Kuiper-1 satellite rocket launch in March. "We think as of right now, the initial product that's going to come out of next-generation Alexa Rufus product will probably be a paid subscription product," Nowak says. Three times each week, I field insight-filled conversations and chats with the biggest names in business and markets on Opening Bid. You can find more episodes on our video hub or watch on your preferred streaming service. Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email Sign in to access your portfolio
