Thursday, July 2, 2026

ULA flies final Atlas V 551 on Amazon Leo mission

Amazon LeoUnited Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance launched the last Atlas V in its powerful 551 configuration in the early hours of July 2 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral, carrying 29 Amazon Leo broadband satellites - a roughly 18-ton payload that tied the record for the heaviest load ever flown on an Atlas V. It was Amazon Leo's eighth and final launch on Atlas V, with future constellation flights shifting to ULA's next-generation Vulcan Centaur. Amazon said its low-Earth-orbit network stood at about 367 satellites before the mission, on the way to a planned fleet of more than 3,000.