
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket will launch its heaviest-ever payload on Saturday morning (April 4), and you can watch the action live.
The Atlas V is scheduled to lift off Saturday at 1:45 a.m. EDT (0545 GMT) from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying 29 satellites for the Amazon Leo broadband constellation to orbit. Together, those spacecraft weigh 18 tons, according to ULA.
You can watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of ULA, or directly via the company. Coverage will begin 20 minutes before launch.
The Amazon Leo megaconstellation, previously known as Project Kuiper, will eventually consist of about 3,200 satellites in low Earth orbit. It's Amazon's answer to SpaceX's Starlink network, which beams internet service down from more than 10,000 satellites (and counting).
Amazon Leo is still in its early stages; just 212 of the spacecraft have reached orbit to date over the course of eight launches (not counting a 2023 liftoff that sent up two prototype satellites).
The Atlas V has flown four of those operational missions. Three employed SpaceX's Falcon 9, and the other one used Arianespace's Ariane 6 heavy lifter.
Saturday's launch, which Amazon calls LA-05, will be the first Atlas V mission to loft 29 Amazon Leo satellites; the others carried 27 of the spacecraft.
"The increase is a result of detailed engineering work between Amazon Leo and ULA, and is made possible by a new, higher-performing version of the RL10C engine used on the rocket's Centaur upper stage," Amazon representatives wrote in a mission description. "While the engine has flown on previous missions, LA-05 marks the first time the program has completed the extensive engineering and safety analysis required to use it with our larger payload."
And that payload is larger in a significant way, according to the LA-05 mission description: "With 29 satellites aboard, LA-05 will mark the heaviest payload ever flown on an Atlas V."
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Jesse Jackson hospitalized, under observation for a neurodegenerative condition - 2
Banks for High Fixed Store Rates: Amplify Your Reserve funds - 3
Procter & Gamble changes Crest toothpaste packaging to address Texas AG fluoride concerns - 4
Fire Allegedly Triggered by Wedding Cake Sparkler Causes Venue to Go Up in Flames, Leaving Groom with Second-Degree Burns - 5
Lebanon says Israeli strike killed 13 people near Palestinian refugee camp
Manual for Big name Work out schedules
7 Espresso Machines for Home Baristas
Gunmen open fire near Israeli consulate in Istanbul in possible ISIS-linked attack
Figure out How to Function Successfully with Your Auto Collision Legal advisor for the Best Result
Farewell, comet 3I/ATLAS! Interstellar visitor heads for the outer solar system after its closest approach to Earth
Lockheed Martin opens new hypersonic weapons facility
Wolf Bites Woman in Shocking Attack at Busy Shopping Center
Midlife weight gain can start long before menopause – but you can take steps early on to help your body weather the hormonal shift
German police 'cleared path for fascists with batons,' protesters say













