Latest news with #VulcanCentaur
Muscat Daily
29-04-2025
- Business
- Muscat Daily
Amazon blasts into space race; launches 27 satellites
In a fiery show of force, Amazon has officially stormed the skies, launching its first full batch of satellites for Project Kuiper – a bold, multibillion-dollar mission to revolutionise global internet access and take direct aim at SpaceX's dominant Starlink empire. At precisely 7:01pm EDT (11:01pm GMT), a thundering Atlas V rocket roared into the Florida night, carrying 27 Kuiper broadband satellites into low Earth orbit. The mission, executed by United Launch Alliance (ULA), is Amazon's first step in deploying a vast constellation of 3,236 satellites, with the ultimate goal of blanketing the planet in high-speed internet. This high-stakes launch marks the beginning of a new era for Amazon, signalling the tech giant's dramatic entry into the space race—a field long ruled by Elon Musk's SpaceX. While Starlink boasts more than 7,200 satellites already beaming internet around the globe, Amazon is gearing up to disrupt the status quo with Kuiper, backed by a war chest of $10 billion and the power of its global cloud empire. Countdown to global connectivity Project Kuiper is not just a pet project—it's Amazon's largest and most daring venture yet. But time is ticking. Under pressure from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, Amazon must launch half of its constellation—1,618 satellites—by mid-2026, or risk losing its licence to operate. After a year-long delay, today's successful launch is a vital lifeline. Amazon's mission control centre in Redmond, Washington is expected to confirm successful contact with the satellites within days. If all systems are green, the company aims to activate Kuiper service later this year, bringing broadband access to rural regions, remote islands, disaster zones, and other underserved communities. Technology that shines—without the glare Amazon isn't just copying SpaceX—it's raising the bar. The satellites launched today carry cutting-edge improvements, from high-performance phased array antennas to inter-satellite optical links. And in a nod to astronomers worldwide, Amazon has equipped them with special anti-reflective coatings to reduce their visibility from Earth. Most future launches will be handled by ULA's Atlas V and Vulcan Centaur, but Amazon is hedging its bets—with additional deals signed with Blue Origin, Arianespace, and even SpaceX itself. A clash of titans What was once science fiction is now a battle of billionaires. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk are now officially locked in a cosmic contest to connect the world from space—and reap the financial and strategic rewards that come with it. This is just the beginning. ULA's CEO Tory Bruno has hinted that up to five more Kuiper launches could happen this year alone. If Amazon can pull it off, the world could see a true internet revolution from orbit—with Kuiper giving Starlink its first real challenger. The space war for the skies has begun. And with it, the promise of a truly connected planet may finally be within reach.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Watch Atlas V rocket launch 1st big batch of Amazon's Project Kuiper internet satellites today
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Amazon's first big batch of Project Kuiper broadband satellites will take flight today (April 9), and you can watch the action live. A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is scheduled to launch 27 Project Kuiper satellites from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today during a two-hour window that opens at 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT). You can watch the liftoff live here at courtesy of ULA or directly via the company. Coverage will start at 6:35 p.m. EDT (2235 GMT). Project Kuiper is Amazon's planned broadband megaconstellation in low Earth orbit. The initial network will consist of about 3,200 satellites, Amazon representatives have said. Amazon will assemble that big constellation over more than 80 launches, the majority of them performed by the Atlas V and its successor, ULA's new Vulcan Centaur. Amazon has also procured launches from Arianespace, Blue Origin and SpaceX. Related: Atlas V rocket launches Amazon's 1st 2 internet satellites to orbit (video) RELATED STORIES — Amazon gets a green light to launch 3,000-satellite Kuiper constellation — Starlink satellites: Facts, tracking and impact on astronomy — Blinded by the light: How bad are satellite megaconstellations for astronomy? Today's launch will be the first to send fully operational Kuiper craft skyward and the second of any type for the program: An Atlas V lofted two prototype Kuiper satellites in October 2023.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Space Force OKs Vulcan rocket as SpaceX competitor for military launch
The Space Force said Wednesday it has certified United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket to fly military launch missions, positioning the company to compete with SpaceX for future contracts. 'Vulcan certification adds launch capacity, resiliency, and flexibility needed by our nation's most critical space-based systems,' Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, Space Systems Command's program executive officer for assured access to space, said in a statement. To achieve certification for National Security Space Launch, or NSSL, missions, companies must complete a rigorous, yearslong process tailored to their rocket's unique capabilities. For Vulcan, that process started in 2016. Since then, the Space Force and ULA validated the rocket met 52 certification criteria, including 18 subsystem design and test reviews and 114 audits of the spacecraft's hardware and software. The final steps of that process featured two Vulcan launches, the first in January 2024 and the second last October. During the second mission, the rocket suffered an anomaly involving its Northrop Grumman-provided solid rocket booster. In February, ULA CEO Tory Bruno told reporters the issue was found to be a manufacturing defect involving a booster component. The investigation into that root cause appears to have delayed the Space Force's certification process, which was expected to wrap up by the end of 2024. In a statement Wednesday, Bruno said the Space Force's long-awaited sign-off positions Vulcan to meet the service's 'expanding spectrum of missions.' 'This next-generation rocket provides high performance and extreme accuracy while continuing to deliver to our customer's most challenging and exotic orbits,' he said. ULA and SpaceX are the only companies with rockets certified to fly NSSL missions. For years prior to the certification of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, ULA with its legacy Atlas V and Delta IV rockets — which the company is retiring — was the sole provider of military launch services. In 2020, SpaceX won a 40% share of those missions slated to fly between fiscal years 2022 and 2027 with ULA maintaining the remaining 60%. Vulcan's certification means SpaceX's line of Falcon rockets should have at least one competitor for future launches, though several other companies are lining up behind the two firms. One of those contenders is Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, which conducted its first certification flight in January. A handful of other firms are further behind in their launch vehicle development. Rocket Lab hopes to fly its Neutron rocket by December 2025 and Relativity Space plans to launch its Terran R sometime next year. Meanwhile, Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace have partnered to develop the Medium Launch Vehicle and are also targeting a 2026 debut. Speaking March 20 at a virtual Defense One conference, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said the service is encouraged by the number of companies looking to break into the military space launch market. 'It was only about 10 years ago when we had one provider and just a few rocket systems,' Saltzman said. 'I think we're on the right trajectory.'
