United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Amazon recently launched a second batch of Project Kuiper internet satellites to low-Earth orbit, and ULA boss Tory Bruno has just shared some awesome close-ups of the company’s workhorse Atlas V rocket leaving the launchpad.
The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Monday, with cameras placed close to the launchpad capturing the moment the Atlas V blasted skyward:
This one includes the gorgeous backdrop of a sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean:
“Bird’s eye view of Kuiper 02 looking down from one of the lightning towers,” Bruno wrote in another video post shared on Tuesday:
And, finally, here’s some slow-motion footage of the Atlas V leaving the launchpad:
The Atlas V, which at 58.3 meters tall is about 11 meters shorter than SpaceX’s Falcon 9, first launched in 2002 and has conducted more than 85 orbital flights over the decades.
The rocket is noted for its impressive versatility, offering a wide range of configurations that allow mission planners to tailor the rocket’s payload fairing size, number of solid rocket boosters (from zero to five), and upper-stage engine count to precisely match the requirements of each space mission.
ULA’s Atlas V rocket will fly six more times for Project Kuiper before the company retires the vehicle and switches to its next-generation and more powerful Vulcan Centaur rocket for more launches.
ULA is set to deliver more than half of the Project Kuiper constellation’s 3,200 satellites during the next few years as Amazon builds out its Starlink-like internet-from-space service. The broadband system will combine satellites, customer terminals, ground stations, and Amazon Web Services infrastructure for high-speed, low-latency connectivity, with a particular focus on unserved and underserved communities around the world. Amazon is aiming to launch a limited service before the end of this year as its satellite constellation begins to expand.
