Amazon has selected the United Launch Alliance’s next-generation Vulcan rocket for 38 launches that will deploy satellites for its Project Kuiper.
ULA – a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin – is headquartered in Denver, but much of its manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are in Decatur.
Amazon’s Project Kuiper aims to have 3,236 advanced satellites in low Earth orbit to increase global broadband.
“We strongly believe in the mission of Project Kuiper,” said Tory Bruno, ULA’s president and CEO. “We are honored to be entrusted with the majority of Amazon’s launches with a total of 47 missions, including the nine Atlas launches already on contract. At ULA we are focused on serving our customers and partnering with them to provide unmatched flight capabilities and mission operations and assurance, to provide the lowest risk and best-value launch solution.”
In addition to the 38 launches with ULA, Amazon signed contracts for 18 launches with France’s Arianespace and 12 with Blue Origin, which has a presence in Huntsville.
The Vulcan missions involving ULA will launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
“ULA has decades of experience and a proven track record across dozens of successful commercial and government missions, and we’re proud to have them on our team,” said Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology for Project Kuiper at Amazon. “Our work together to enhance launch operations at Cape Canaveral stands to benefit the broader space industry and contribute to greater resilience in space operations.”
