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SpaceX Launches 24 Amazon Kuiper Satellites After Days of Weather Delays

The flight advances Amazon’s race to meet FCC deployment deadlines for its Kuiper broadband network.

Overview

  • The Falcon 9 mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40 carrying 24 Project Kuiper satellites after multiple weather-related slips.
  • Prior attempts were held by heavy rain at the Cape and high seas downrange linked to Tropical Storm Jerry, despite a 95% favorable pad forecast.
  • First-stage booster B1091 flew for the second time and landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions following liftoff.
  • The deployment brings Kuiper’s on-orbit total to 153 satellites on the sixth mission for the constellation across Atlas V and Falcon 9 flights.
  • Amazon is accelerating production and using a $140 million processing facility at Kennedy as it pursues a 3,236-satellite network under FCC milestones.