United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched the Amazon Leo broadband satellite constellation on the Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 29, 2026. The launch, called “Amazon Leo 7” by ULA, had a challenging countdown due to adverse weather conditions, with only a 30% chance of acceptable weather predicted. Despite delays from holds in the countdown, the rocket lifted off just after sunset at 7:53 PM EDT.
This mission marked the seventh batch of satellites launched for Amazon, which has ordered 47 vehicles from ULA, including 38 Vulcan rockets. The Atlas 5 launch was significant as it was the penultimate mission using this rocket model. Following this launch, only one Atlas 5 rocket will remain in Amazon’s fleet.
Concurrent with this launch, Amazon faced setbacks related to its timeline for deploying its satellite constellation, as it only had about 300 of its required 3,200 satellites in orbit by the FCC’s deadline for operational status. Plans to utilize Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket were also stalled due to an explosion that occurred shortly before.
ULA confirmed that the Atlas rocket and spacecraft were unharmed by the blast and that everything on the launch pad remained nominal. The final Atlas 5 launch for Amazon’s Leo network is scheduled for July 2026.
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