
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
A Colombian city swaps iconic horse buggies for electric carriages amid animal welfare concerns - 2
Oldest sequenced RNA reveals details about a mammoth’s final moments 40,000 years - 3
Foreign journalist kidnapped in Iraq: Interior Ministry - 4
New Year's superstitions: Eating 12 grapes, avoiding laundry and other rituals that are said to bring good fortune - 5
'Stranger Things' star debunks claims of 'unseen footage' from Season 5, Volume 2 as backlash intensifies ahead of the series finale
A definitive Burger Confrontation: Which One Rules?
Young Muslims in Germany feel left out of Mideast debate, experts say
Eco-Accommodating Kitchen Machines: 4 Picks for a Manageable Home
In Antarctica, photos show a remote area teeming with life amid growing risks from climate change
Artemis II's moon-bound astronauts capture Earth's brilliant blue beauty as they leave it behind
Clocks to go forward one hour in Europe as summer time starts
Lower-cost space missions like NASA's ESCAPADE are starting to deliver exciting science – but at a price in risk and trade‑offs
Venezuelan President Maduro arrives in New York following U.S. capture: Full coverage
Manual for Financial plan Agreeable PC












