ULA and Amazon schedule first Kuiper satellite launch for April 9, 2025
The launch of the first 27 satellites in Amazon’s 3,200-plus satellite Kuiper internet constellation has now been scheduled for April 9, 2025, using ULA’s Atlas-5 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral.
The Kuiper constellation, intended to compete directly with SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, was first conceived at about the same time as Starlink. Since then — while Amazon moved slowly launching only two test satellites — SpaceX launched thousands and signed up millions of customers, grabbing market share that it will be difficult for Kuiper to re-capture.
The launch will also be the first in 2025 for ULA, which had hoped to do as many as 25 launches this year with its old soon-to-be-retired Atlas-5 and new Vulcan rocket. The six-month delay in getting the Pentagon to finally certify Vulcan for commercial military launches has put a damper on that plan. Right now ULA will be lucky if it can complete half those launches.
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The launch of the first 27 satellites in Amazon’s 3,200-plus satellite Kuiper internet constellation has now been scheduled for April 9, 2025, using ULA’s Atlas-5 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral.
The Kuiper constellation, intended to compete directly with SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, was first conceived at about the same time as Starlink. Since then — while Amazon moved slowly launching only two test satellites — SpaceX launched thousands and signed up millions of customers, grabbing market share that it will be difficult for Kuiper to re-capture.
The launch will also be the first in 2025 for ULA, which had hoped to do as many as 25 launches this year with its old soon-to-be-retired Atlas-5 and new Vulcan rocket. The six-month delay in getting the Pentagon to finally certify Vulcan for commercial military launches has put a damper on that plan. Right now ULA will be lucky if it can complete half those launches.
Readers!
My annual February birthday fund-raising drive for Behind the Black is now over. Thank you to everyone who donated or subscribed. While not a record-setter, the donations were more than sufficient and slightly above average.
As I have said many times before, I can’t express what it means to me to get such support, especially as no one is required to pay anything to read my work. Thank you all again!
For those readers who like my work here at Behind the Black and haven't contributed so far, please consider donating or subscribing. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
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4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
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Cortaro, AZ 85652
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Interestingly, they are using an Atlas V 551, so 5 meter fairing, 5 SRB’s and 1 RL-20 engine.
That is the most expensive Atlas model. I saw a price for an Atlas V 411, so 1 SRB for $110 Million, with the 551 at 153 Million. Vs the Falcon 9 cost of $55 million and likely much lower internal costs as low as $15 million a launch.
It is not clear to me that Kuiper can make money when competing against Starlink. Hope I am wrong.
Here I thought we had the rights to build RD-180s. They could have just kept Atlas going without having to deal with Bezos.
Atlas is a good size for transportation–it can be flown in via Antonio, or with Delta Mariner for water transit.
The right to build the RD-180, under license, in the US was part of the original deal for its use on Atlas III – and, later, Atlas V. But Boeing decided buying RD-180s was cheaper than setting up its own production facility. There was also a question as to just how complete the specifications were that Russia provided. Boeing never elected to find out. So it goes.
Kuiper service is going to need to be dramatically better than Starlink or way cheaper to get any takeup (I guess lefty Musk haters will buy it). The first is unlikely and I can’t see making money with the second. I wonder when Jeff will get tired of tearing up Benjamins.
As for legacy rockets – too expensive and not reusable. Paleo rocketry.