Atlas 5 launches 29 Amazon satellites as New Glenn stays grounded
ULA's Atlas 5 delivered 29 Amazon Leo satellites on May 29, the same day New Glenn exploded, forcing Amazon to rely on four other launch providers to meet a July 30 FCC deadline for 1,618 satellites.
Blue Origin's New Glenn explodes on pad, freezes Amazon's $1.8B contract
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket destroyed in a static fire test at Cape Canaveral on May 28, freezing Amazon's 24-mission Leo constellation deployment and threatening the shared BE-4 engine supply to United Launch Alliance's Vulcan.
Amazon Leo's FCC Gamble: 210 Satellites, July Deadline, $10B Launch Bill
Amazon's Leo satellite internet entered enterprise beta on April 8, 2026, but faces a critical FCC milestone: deploy 1,618 satellites by July 30 or lose its spectrum authorization. The company has roughly 210 in orbit and needs an approved extension.
Atlas V Hits Payload Record: Amazon Leo's Path to Scale
ULA's Atlas V 551 launched 29 Amazon Leo satellites on April 4—the heaviest payload in the rocket's history—via an RL10C engine upgrade and four-tier dispenser. Amazon is now deploying at scale, but remains 1,300+ satellites behind Starlink.
SpaceX Files for IPO: $1.75 Trillion Valuation, National Security Moat
SpaceX submitted a confidential IPO filing to the SEC on April 1, seeking a $1.75 trillion valuation and up to $75 billion in capital. The filing values a merged aerospace-AI enterprise built on military launch dominance and Starlink's near-10-million-user base.