Trending Now - Atlas V Rocket Set to Deploy 29 Amazon Satellites Today
WHO:
Spaceflight Now - United Launch Alliance (ULA) launched 29 Amazon Leo satellites.
WHAT:
Spaceflight Now - ULA completed its second Atlas 5 rocket launch of the month.
Spaceflight Now - This launch marked ULA’s fastest turnaround at Space Launch Complex 41 to date, beating the previous record by nearly three days.
Spaceflight Now - The LA-06 mission will bring the Amazon Leo constellation to a total of 270 satellites in orbit.
Spaceflight Now - This was the 108th launch of an Atlas 5 and the 100th under ULA.
WHERE:
Spaceflight Now - The launch took place from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
WHEN:
Spaceflight Now - Liftoff occurred at 8:53:30 p.m. EDT (0053:30 UTC).
Spaceflight Now - The LA-06 mission came about 23 days and 19 hours after the last Atlas V launch at pad 41.
Spaceflight Now - ULA's previous turnaround record at this site was 26 days, 5 hours, 19 minutes.
WHY:
Spaceflight Now - ULA made changes to its prelaunch flow to decrease the turnaround time for launching rockets.
HOW:
Spaceflight Now - ULA rolled the 205-foot-tall (62.5 m) rocket out to the pad on a Monday morning, achieving the “harddown” milestone at 7:19 a.m. EDT (1119 UTC).
Spaceflight Now - The ULA team was divided into two shifts to perform tasks that normally spread across two days.
Spaceflight Now - The new pad flow included a two-hour hold in place beginning at T-minus 2 hours before fueling.
(UPDATED April 28, 2026 04:14 UTC)
United Launch Alliance successfully launched 29 Amazon Leo satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking their second Atlas 5 rocket launch of the month. This mission, known as LA-06, set a new record for ULA's fastest turnaround at Space Launch Complex 41, completing the launch just 23 days and 19 hours after the previous Atlas V launch. With this launch, the Amazon Leo constellation now totals 270 satellites in orbit, and it was the 108th launch of an Atlas 5 rocket, with 100 of those conducted under ULA.