Atlas V rocket launched 27 satellites into orbit as part of Amazon Leo project
On Tuesday, December 16 at 3:28 AM Eastern Time (08:28 GMT), a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launched from the space station at Cape Canaveral. It delivered 27 Amazon Leo satellites into orbit, which are part of Amazon's satellite internet project.
What is known
Amazon Leo is a satellite project by Amazon, previously known as Project Kuiper, that envisions deploying around 3,200 satellites in low Earth orbit. More than 80 missions are planned for their deployment. Prior to this launch, 153 satellites had already been put into orbit as part of six missions. This does not include two prototypes launched in October 2023.
This was already the fourth launch for Atlas V under the Amazon Leo program. The rocket has been in operation since 2002. Currently, ULA is gradually transitioning to the new Vulcan Centaur rocket, which has already completed three flights.
The deployment of the satellites began approximately 20 minutes after launch and lasted for 15 minutes. The broadcast of the launch was cut off five minutes after liftoff.
Amazon Leo aims to provide global internet coverage. In this segment, SpaceX is also operating. The Starlink network comprises over 9,000 satellites, of which about 3,000 were launched by the company in 2025.
Source: Amazon
