Amazon is perhaps an exchange of fast online deliveries, but the massive company will have to wait to launch the first satellites of its new spatial internet constellation after bad weather thwarted a takeoff on Wednesday evening.
An united Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket tried to launch 27 of the first Kuiper Internet Kuiper satellites from orbit from Cape Canaveral Spatial Station in Florida on April 9, but persistent clouds near the cushion violated the launch rules, ULA officials said.
“It is confirmed that we will not continue the launching activities of the Amazon Kuiper 1 project today,” said ULA launch commentator Caleb Weiss during a livestream. “We will work with our partners at the launch of Delta 45 US Space Force for the moment of our next launch opportunity.”
The bad weather tormented the attempt to launch Ula Amazon throughout a two -hour flight window which opened its doors at 7 p.m. Hae (2300 GMT). The launch controllers worked through certain technical problems, but were mainly concerned with thick cumulus and rains less than 10 miles from the PAD, which violated the launching weather rules, ULA officials said.
Project Kuiper is Amazon’s response to the Starlink satellite megaconsttellation of Steellite Satellite to provide broadband internet worldwide. Amazon hopes to build a constellation of 3,200 broadband satellites in the coming years to cement a foot on the space market.
While Ula launches these first Kuiper satellites, Amazon has exploited a wide range of launch services for the project, including flights on the brand new Vulcan Centaur rocket, Arianespace Boosters, the new Falcon Rocket family from Blue Origin in Glenn and SpaceX.
In October 2023, Amazon launched two prototypes of Kuiper satellites on a test flight, paving the way for this first favorite of the first launches of operational satellites.
