United Launch Alliance Deploys 27 Amazon Leo Satellites on Atlas V Mission

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully executed its fourth launch of the Atlas V 551 rocket on Monday, December 15, 2025, carrying a new batch of production satellites for Amazon Leo, the entity formerly known as Project Kuiper. The liftoff occurred in the early morning from Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

This mission deployed 27 spacecraft into their designated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) configuration, increasing the total count of operational Amazon Leo satellites to 180, excluding the two prototype units launched in October 2023. This flight is notable as the first mission to officially carry the Amazon Leo designation following the program's renaming on November 13, 2025. The Atlas V 551 variant, characterized by five strap-on solid rocket boosters and a medium-length payload fairing, is the most powerful configuration in the Atlas V family, providing the necessary thrust for the deployment.

The deployment is a critical component of a substantial commercial agreement wherein ULA is contracted to launch the majority of Amazon Leo's planned constellation, which aims to eventually exceed 3,200 satellites to establish global broadband internet coverage. Managed by Kuiper Systems LLC, Amazon Leo intends to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet, targeting round trip latency between 30 and 50 milliseconds. The constellation is designed to operate across three orbital layers at altitudes ranging from 590 km to 630 km, distributed across 98 orbital planes.

ULA’s partnership with Amazon Leo encompasses eight Atlas V launches and 38 launches utilizing the newer Vulcan rockets, constituting a significant procurement of launch capacity. The successful launch on December 15, which followed a delay due to forecasted ground winds, continues the operational cadence required to meet stringent FCC deployment deadlines, which mandate that at least 50% of the full authorized constellation must be operational by July 30, 2026. The deployed satellites incorporate advanced technology, including Optical Inter-Satellite Links to facilitate high-speed data transfer and form a resilient mesh network in space.