ULA Atlas V Launches 29 Amazon Leo Satellites, Matching 18-Ton Payload Record
Updated
Updated · Space.com · May 29
ULA Atlas V Launches 29 Amazon Leo Satellites, Matching 18-Ton Payload Record
4 articles · Updated · Space.com · May 29
A 29-minute launch window opens at 2333 GMT from Cape Canaveral for ULA’s Atlas V 551 to carry 29 Amazon Leo broadband satellites into low Earth orbit.
The mission will tie Atlas V’s heaviest payload mark at about 18 tons and raise Amazon’s in-orbit Leo fleet to 329 satellites from roughly 300.
Those spacecraft are the 12th Amazon Leo batch overall and the fourth launched this year as Amazon accelerates work toward a planned constellation of about 3,200 satellites.
The push comes with SpaceX’s Starlink already near 10,500 satellites and after Blue Origin’s New Glenn suffered a pad explosion on May 28, clouding the timing of Amazon’s next planned launch on that rocket.
After a rocket explosion and a $50B AI bet, is Amazon's focus shifting from its space race with SpaceX?
With two key partners facing catastrophic failures, is Amazon's satellite internet plan now in serious jeopardy?
Amazon Leo 6 Launch Sets Atlas V Payload Record as Amazon Accelerates Global Satellite Internet Ambitions
Overview
On April 27, 2026, Amazon reached a major milestone in its Project Kuiper initiative by successfully launching 29 Kuiper satellites aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral. This Amazon Leo 6 mission matched the Atlas V’s heaviest payload record, thanks to key technical advancements like the upgraded RL10C engine on the Centaur upper stage, which provided the necessary thrust and efficiency. The mission marked a pivotal step in rapidly deploying Amazon’s low Earth orbit constellation, highlighting strong collaboration between Amazon and ULA and demonstrating the sophisticated engineering behind this record-setting achievement.