ULA Sets Nov. 15 Vulcan Return With 40 Amazon Leo Satellites as It Tests New Nozzle
Updated
Updated · Space.com · Nov 13
ULA Sets Nov. 15 Vulcan Return With 40 Amazon Leo Satellites as It Tests New Nozzle
3 articles · Updated · Space.com · Nov 13
Summary
Nov. 15 at 1711 GMT is ULA’s new target for Vulcan Centaur’s first flight in nine months, carrying 40 Amazon Leo broadband satellites from Cape Canaveral.
Two delays pushed the launch back from Nov. 13—first a power issue at the plant supplying gaseous nitrogen, then a communications problem between ground equipment and the rocket; ULA said the vehicle and payloads remain healthy.
The mission will be the first flight of an improved solid-rocket-booster nozzle after burn-throughs on Vulcan launches in October 2024 and February 2026, anomalies that still allowed payload delivery but prompted the U.S. Space Force to pause national security missions.
About 70 minutes after liftoff, Vulcan is set to deploy the satellites over 25 minutes at roughly 435 kilometers altitude, adding to Amazon’s planned 3,200-plus-satellite network, with about 400 spacecraft launched so far.