ULA’s Atlas-5 rocket launches first two Kuiper satellites
ULA’s Atlas-5 rocket today successfully launched the first two prototype satellites of Amazon’s proposed 3,200-satellite constellation to provide broadband globally in competition with Starlink and OneWeb.
As of posting, the satellites had not yet deployed, with the rocket’s upper stage still firing its engines to bring the rocket to its proper orbit. The live stream unfortunately ended early at this point.
Though the Atlas-5 is being retired, to be replaced by ULA’s still unlaunched Vulcan rocket, about seventeen rockets remain in the company’s launch manifest. All have payloads, so any additional ULA launch contracts must rely on Vulcan.
This was ULA’s third launch in 2023, so it does not change the leader board for the 2023 launch race. The company predicted it would complete ten launches in 2023, a prediction that with less than three months left in the year seems unlikely for it to achieve.
70 SpaceX
45 China
13 Russia
7 Rocket Lab
7 India
American private enterprise now leads China in successful launches 82 to 45, and leads the entire world combined 82 to 72. SpaceX by itself still trails the rest of the world, excluding American companies, 70 to 72.
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ULA’s Atlas-5 rocket today successfully launched the first two prototype satellites of Amazon’s proposed 3,200-satellite constellation to provide broadband globally in competition with Starlink and OneWeb.
As of posting, the satellites had not yet deployed, with the rocket’s upper stage still firing its engines to bring the rocket to its proper orbit. The live stream unfortunately ended early at this point.
Though the Atlas-5 is being retired, to be replaced by ULA’s still unlaunched Vulcan rocket, about seventeen rockets remain in the company’s launch manifest. All have payloads, so any additional ULA launch contracts must rely on Vulcan.
This was ULA’s third launch in 2023, so it does not change the leader board for the 2023 launch race. The company predicted it would complete ten launches in 2023, a prediction that with less than three months left in the year seems unlikely for it to achieve.
70 SpaceX
45 China
13 Russia
7 Rocket Lab
7 India
American private enterprise now leads China in successful launches 82 to 45, and leads the entire world combined 82 to 72. SpaceX by itself still trails the rest of the world, excluding American companies, 70 to 72.
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.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
How many satellites does Lex Luthor have to launch to keep his license from being withdrawn.
My understanding is 50% of 3, 238 or 1,618 satellites by 2026. Tic, tic, tic…
Correction: My understanding is 50% of 3, 236 or 1,618 satellites by 2026. Tic, tic, tic…
2 out of 3200?
At what 250 million a launch that would be what, 400 billion dollars to just launch their network?
Not counting replacements?
The ROI must be huge for that kind of up front projection.
Atlas V launches two small satellites:
Dog bites man.
Two small satellites, the first such by Blue Origin, work great:
Man bites dog, dog voluntarily goes to vet.
pzatchok asked: “At what 250 million a launch that would be what, 400 billion dollars to just launch their network?”
As soon as these test satellites prove that the system works as intended (perhaps with minor adjustments or modifications), then they will launch more than two at a time, but pzatchok’s point is a good one. There is currently a lawsuit by investors, because they believe that the choice of launch providers does not include low cost launches and a wider selection could have made the initial cost of the constellation somewhat lower, allowing for more profits, faster initiation of operations, etc.
Tests can be expensive, and in this case the cost includes the price of a launch.
Atlas is one of the angriest sounding launchers
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N4qXHG2Ytcw&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fforum.nasaspaceflight.com%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ&feature=emb_imp_woyt
“Atlas is one of the angriest sounding launchers…”
Well, after all it is being cancelled and replaced by a vehicle that is untested, powered by an engine that is having delivery problems. And, by the way, the replacement doesn’t do that newfangled “reuse” thingy!