
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
Remote Headphones: Improve Your Sound Insight - 2
The Craft of Computerized Detox: Individual Trials - 3
Hundreds rally in West Bank against Israeli death penalty for Palestinians - 4
ISS astronauts spy airglow and dwarf galaxy | Space photo of the day for Jan. 13, 2026 - 5
Most normal matter in the universe isn't found in planets, stars or galaxies – an astronomer explains where it's distributed
Vote in favor of your #1 Kind of Cap
New York to require social media platforms to display mental health warnings
How to watch the last supermoon of the year
Gaza humanitarian efforts reach key milestone as UNICEF vaccinates some 13,000 children
A Concise History Of The Entertainment world
'We need everyone,' wounded reservist urges Knesset panel to advance haredi draft law
Midlife weight gain can start long before menopause – but you can take steps early on to help your body weather the hormonal shift
Golden satellite insulation sparkles during test | Space photo of the day for Dec. 30, 2025
In the background: Visiting Notable Film Areas All over the Planet













