Amazon Kuiper second satellite launch postponed by ULA due to rocket booster issue

Amazon Kuiper second satellite launch postponed by ULA due to rocket booster issue


A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is shown on its launch pad carrying Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet network satellites as the vehicle is prepared for launch at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., April 28, 2025.

Steve Nesius | Reuters

United Launch Alliance on Monday was forced to delay the second flight carrying a batch of Amazon‘s Project Kuiper internet satellites because of a problem with the rocket booster.

With roughly 30 minutes left in the countdown, ULA announced it was scrubbing the launch due to an issue with “an elevated purge temperature” within its Atlas V rocket’s booster engine. The company said it will provide a new launch date at a later point.

“Possible issue with a GN2 purge line that cannot be resolved inside the count,” ULA CEO Tory Bruno said in a post on Bluesky. “We will need to stand down for today. We’ll sort it and be back.”

The launch from Florida’s Space Coast had been set for last Friday, but was rescheduled to Monday at 1:25 p.m. ET due to inclement weather.

Amazon in April successfully sent up 27 Kuiper internet satellites into low Earth orbit, a region of space that’s within 1,200 miles of the Earth’s surface. The second voyage will send “another 27 satellites into orbit, bringing our total constellation size to 54 satellites,” Amazon said in a blog post.

Kuiper is the latest entrant in the burgeoning satellite internet industry, which aims to beam high-speed internet to the ground from orbit. The industry is currently dominated by Elon Musk’s Space X, which operates Starlink. Other competitors include SoftBank-backed OneWeb and Viasat.

Amazon is targeting a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites. The company has to meet a Federal Communications Commission deadline to launch half of its total constellation, or 1,618 satellites, by July 2026.

WATCH: Amazon Web Services CEO: Lots of opportunity to expand infrastructure globally

AWS CEO: Lots of opportunity to expand infrastructure globally



Source

Samsung backs South Korean AI chip startup Rebellions ahead of IPO
World

Samsung backs South Korean AI chip startup Rebellions ahead of IPO

The Rebel-Quad is the second-generation product from Rebellions and is made up of four Rebel AI chips. Rebellions, a South Korean firm, is looking to rival companies like Nvidia in AI chips. Rebellions South Korean artificial intelligence chip startup Rebellions has raised money from tech giant Samsung and is targeting a funding round of up […]

Read More
Philips shares soar 11% as health tech giant flags reduced U.S. tariff impact
World

Philips shares soar 11% as health tech giant flags reduced U.S. tariff impact

Philips jumps on improved tariff outlook Shares of Philips soared nearly 14% at the market open, after the Dutch consumer healthcare group raised its full-year margin outlook, saying it now expects a hit of 150 to 200 million euros ($230.1 million) from tariffs, down from the 250 to 300 million euros it had previously estimated. […]

Read More
Barclays second-quarter profit beats estimates as investment banking revenues swell
World

Barclays second-quarter profit beats estimates as investment banking revenues swell

One Churchill Place skyscraper, the Barclays Plc headquarters, at Canary Wharf in London, U.K., on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021.  Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images British bank Barclays on Tuesday beat profit expectations and announced a £1 billion ($1.33 billion) share buyback as market volatility boosted investment banking revenues. Pre-tax profit beat estimates at £2.5 […]

Read More