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Vulcan rocket to launch Amazon Leo satellites in Florida
Florida Today • • science
Key Points:
- ULA successfully launched the Vulcan rocket carrying 40 Amazon Leo satellites from Cape Canaveral, with all six solid rocket boosters separating at 22 miles altitude approximately 1 minute 45 seconds into flight.
- The Vulcan rocket is a 215-foot-tall vehicle generating 3.9 million pounds of thrust, featuring six solid rocket boosters and the Centaur V upper stage optimized for low Earth orbit satellite deployment.
- Amazon’s Leo satellite constellation aims to exceed 3,000 broadband satellites providing global internet coverage between 56 degrees north and south latitude, with terminals offering downlink speeds up to 1 Gbps.
- The Centaur V upper stage will perform a two-burn sequence to circularize orbit at about 285 miles altitude and deploy 40 satellites over 25 minutes during flight across the Pacific Ocean.
- Amazon has invested over $400 million in Florida’s Space Coast, including $139.5 million at Kennedy Space Center for satellite processing and $200 million+ in launch infrastructure upgrades at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
