Amazon confirmed today that they're moving the launch of their first two Kuiper internet network satellites from ULA's Vulcan Centaur to their Atlas V. United Launch Alliance's Vulcan was supposed to have its first launch in May of this year (last projected date), but the problems with the Centaur that caused it to explode during tests in March (most recent post here) have pushed that out into the fourth quarter of the year. That first Cert-1 launch of a Vulcan Centaur was slated to carry the first two of Amazon's Kuiper satellites to begin testing their performance on orbit.
Amazon had initially planned to deploy KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 by late last year with ABL Space Systems, before the rocket developer’s RS1 vehicle also suffered setbacks.
The Project Kuiper prototypes could launch as soon as Sept. 26 on a dedicated Atlas 5, according to a Reuters report citing Amazon spokesperson James Watkins.
The Atlas V is down to its last launches due to the prohibition of the Russian engines the Atlas uses and all of those vehicles are allocated to customers already. Amazon has nine Atlas 5 and 38 Vulcan rockets on order from ULA, so I first thought that what happened was simply trading one mission for another. "Let's swap one Vulcan launch for an Atlas V;" like giving up one place in line for another. The launch slot in September apparently became open after another mission on ULA's launch schedule faced delays due to payload readiness. It's possible, but not confirmed, that the payload with readiness issues was the Boeing Starliner crewed flight test, also pushed off closer to '24.
The company plans to start launching commercial satellites next year amid impending regulatory deadlines for its proposed 3,236-strong low Earth orbit broadband constellation.
Half the constellation must be deployed by July 2026 under rules tied to its Federal Communications Commission license, and the rest three years later.
Amazon expects to open a 31,000-square-meter satellite processing facility in early 2025 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, to help ramp up deployment.
Vulcan with no Centaur upper stage upon arrival at SLC-41 on this past May 11. ULA photo.
Yes, Centaur was a problem, quickly (for ULA) discovered and remediated, but is nobody talking about the 600lb gorilla in the room, meaning how certain are ULA about the viability of the BE4s?
ReplyDeleteGonna be real interesting to see if the BE4s work in a launch situation.
Why doesn't Bezos use Blue Origin?
ReplyDeleteCorrect me if I'm wrong , but I'm laughing ovah heah.
Because there hasn't even been any flight-test hardware for New Glenn. It's all ground test articles and flim-flammery for to catch investors.
DeleteAnd if I'm wrong, sorry BO, but, seriously, you started before Musk did Starship and you're still playing with mockups?
DeleteShades of Boeing, Beans - except Boeing actually FLEW some hardware!
DeleteBack when the contract was announced (the "Everyone But SpaceX" launch contract), it said they were contracting for 12 New Glenn launches.
Delete38 Vulcans
18 Arianespace Ariane 64s
12 New Glenns
In addition to nine ULA Atlas V and two RS1 launches from ABL
Not one of those rockets has flown yet. The Atlas V is the only one that has flown for any customer.
At the time, the article said the first launch was supposed to be in '22 meaning it probably wouldn't happen until early '23.
Original source.
No way he makes those numbers. No way.
ReplyDeleteLook at ULA and the corporations involved with it, it seems it is the standard corporate/finacials /.gov feed trough hanky-panky, some things never change, its Pavlov's dawg corruptocrat/crony capitalism, it really will never change until all involved no longer exist and there is no other way about it. Particularly because it will never change until the free .gov cheese runs out.
ReplyDeleteThen here comes SpaceX. Ever wonder why Elon loves him his X? For starters X is symbolic for the dark one, from the dark side, he in his little red demon suit, no less one of the shwab thing's special representatives of global domination game.
Watching Elon, there is simply no way he is what is behind SpaceX, but he his a truly gifted personality, plays his part exceptionally well and is no doubt a very sharp intelligent high IQ critical thinker. But he is only playing his lines in the role the Rothchillians have given him. Its a sad thing, first Elon is allied with the global domination crowd, for it is apparant Elon is gifted in many ways, maybe he is sharp enough to jump over to the honorable resistance when the time is right. He is smart enough and has empathy, which is a heck if a lot more than can be said for the rest of the phsyco crowd at globo-pedo/clown world central.
Still, does it strike any of you like it strikes me, all of a sudden here comes an aerospace outfit which totally shatters all the aerospace rules, manages to avoid the mud caked shoes which burden the aerospace industry, how they threw all the books out, totally, mo more burdensome PPP's and QP's, no more auditing, and how did they sneak that by the FAA? Thats a true tell on orders of magnitude, about a lot of things, foremost, somebody behind the shrouds of the unknown unknowns, wanted highly sustainable, cheap, very fast, heavy lift capabilities, which the only way that is possible within the framework if regulatory and administrative tyranny and its dictatorship aka the federal government, is to bypass all that regulatory and administrative tyranny, only way. And how thats done in our world is how SpaceX did it/is doing it. But critically thinking the question is why. Why the relatively sudden accent into space by a "private corporation". After more than a half century of just the opposite, deliberately so. Somebody, wants something, and its critical enough it can get around get by the gate keepers holding back and in control of technology, how else could this remarkabky successful and quite brilliant soace outfit do this?
Why?
Cause those who deem themselves global overlords of the global organized crime syndicate deemed it to be.
Cause they want to put into orbit around this earth a system which will when it is fully emplemented, which controls humanity.
Cause it is part and parcel and a critical instrument for global domination.
Cause all the drama all the regulatory hirdles, its all simply drama, more fake/false narrative and clown show, a flying shiny object, like totally, mesmerising everyone while the psychopaths and baby face eaters set up an orbiting mind and body control system, an orbital network leaving no spot on earth unseen, for directed energy weapon technology that nobody can touch or destroy. The ultimate people control system.
Change my mind. Dare you.
Change my mind. Dare you.
DeleteNot gonna happen. I don't argue with crazy.