Overview

• The second ULA Atlas V launch for Project Kuiper was postponed after engineers detected elevated purge temperatures in the booster’s first stage.
• The Ka-02 mission would have placed 27 satellites into orbit, doubling Amazon’s network to 54 spacecraft ahead of the FCC’s mid-2026 milestone.
• Amazon and ULA are assessing the anomaly before rescheduling liftoff to stay on track for the FCC requirement to have half of the 3,200-satellite constellation operational by July 2026.
• ULA plans to ramp up launch cadence with its Vulcan rocket, which can carry 45 Kuiper satellites, alongside flights on Atlas V and rockets from Arianespace, Blue Origin and SpaceX.
• Amazon’s $120 million processing facility at Kennedy Space Center accelerates final satellite prep, and ULA is targeting two launches per month from the Florida Space Coast.