🚀 Atlas V 551 | 🛰 Project Kuiper (KA01 mission)
Launch date: April 28, 2025 23:01 UTC
Payload: Project Kuiper (KA-01)
Location: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA
Vehicle: Atlas V 551
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V 551 launched Amazon’s first major operational batch of 27 Project Kuiper broadband satellites from SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, on April 28, 2025, at 23:01 UTC. This Kuiper 1 mission marks the start of Amazon’s full-scale deployment of a planned 3,200+ satellite constellation aimed at providing global internet coverage and competing with SpaceX’s Starlink. The satellites will be elevated to their operational orbits after deployment. The Atlas V flew in its ‘Bruiser’ five-solid-booster configuration, marking the 250th Centaur upper stage mission for ULA. The launch, previously postponed due to weather and range issues, is a pivotal step toward Amazon’s global network. Future launches will use ULA’s Vulcan and other providers including Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Arianespace.
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SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA
Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) is a prominent rocket launch pad located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Originally constructed in the 1960s for the Titan III and Titan IV rocket families, SLC-41 was later refurbished to accommodate United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V vehicle, and more recently, the Vulcan Centaur rocket. The site has played a critical role in launching key missions to Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto, including the Mars Science Laboratory and New Horizons.
SLC-41’s modern facilities support a wide range of commercial, scientific, and military missions. Its distinctive clean-pad design enables efficient vehicle processing and rapid launch cadence. The pad continues to be central to ULA’s operations as newer launch vehicles like Vulcan Centaur take to the skies from this historic site.