
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
I spent the last year transforming my life. Becoming a Rockette for a day made me confront a fear I couldn't shake. - 2
Tehran defends ship seizure as a legal action, but tensions continue in the Gulf - 3
Magnetic fossils may reveal ancient creature's internal 'GPS system' - 4
KJ Apa stars as Jimmy Stewart in new biopic: See his transformation - 5
Beyond the habitable zone: Exoplanet atmospheres are the next clue to finding life on planets orbiting distant stars
Don’t let food poisoning crash your Thanksgiving dinner
Understanding Successful Compromise Standards to Cultivate Agreeable Connections
Air India chief resigns 10 months after devastating Ahmedabad crash and amid mounting financial troubles
Day to day Temporary Positions That Compensate Fairly in the US
The Solution to Individual budget: Dominating Cash The board
New movies to watch this weekend: See 'They Will Kill You' in theaters, rent 'Send Help,' stream 'Pretty Lethal' on Prime Video
Inside Plan with Houseplants: An Aide
The Most Astonishing Arising Advances to Watch
Vote in favor of Your #1 4\u00d74 SUVs












