United Launch Alliance plans to fly its Vulcan rocket on Sunday, carrying 40 Amazon Leo internet satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral. Liftoff is set for 12:11 p.m. Eastern, at the start of a 29-minute window.
The flight is Vulcan’s first in nine months. The rocket has been grounded since February, when a solid rocket booster nozzle failed during the USSF-87 mission for the Space Force.
ULA tried twice before to get this mission off the ground. Friday’s attempt was called off over a supply issue with liquid nitrogen, and Saturday’s was scrubbed after a communications problem between ground equipment and the rocket. The company said the vehicle and the satellites stayed in good condition through both delays.
The mission, called Amazon Leo LV-01, is the first of 38 Vulcan launches Amazon has bought for its broadband constellation. The 40 satellites will join more than 360 already in orbit, part of a planned network of over 3,200 spacecraft meant to rival SpaceX’s Starlink.
Vulcan will fly in its most powerful configuration, with six solid rocket boosters and an upgraded Centaur V upper stage. The satellites are due to separate in stages starting about 70 minutes after liftoff.
Source: NASASpaceFlight
