ULA Scrubs Amazon’s Kuiper 2 Satellite Launch Due to Engine Issues

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – The United Launch Alliance (ULA) scrubbed the launch of Amazon‘s second group of Project Kuiper satellites on June 16 due to a temperature issue with the RD-180 engine. This decision was made shortly before the planned liftoff at 1:25 p.m. EDT.

ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno shared on BlueSky that engineers were addressing a temperature measurement that was unexpectedly higher than that of previous launches. The company released a statement explaining that the launch was delayed due to an ‘engineering observation of an elevated purge temperature within the booster engine.’

Prior to the scrub, fueling for the 205-foot-tall rocket had been completed. Bruno noted that the issue with gaseous nitrogen could not be resolved within the available launch window. ‘We’ll sort it out and be back,’ he said in another post.

It is still uncertain whether repairs will be performed at the launch pad or if the rocket must return to the Vertical Integration Facility, located about a third of a mile away.

Weather conditions appeared favorable earlier, with a forecast of 75 percent chance for acceptable weather during the launch, limited only by cumulus clouds. Launch weather officers had noted that while afternoon storms might develop, high pressure could help ease the conditions.

The ULA had previously conducted a launch readiness review on June 13, which confirmed a ‘go’ for the launch campaign. The Atlas V rocket, designated AV-105, is part of a mission designated Kuiper 2, which would bring Amazon’s satellite constellation to a total of 54 satellites.

Amazon has an agreement with the Federal Communications Commission to have at least half of its first-generation constellation of over 3,200 satellites operational by the end of July 2026. The company has ordered multiple rockets from various providers, including Vulcan, Ariane 6, New Glenn, and Falcon 9, to achieve this goal.

With Monday’s scrub, ULA has six more Atlas 5 rockets designated for Amazon to help complete the satellite launches. Amazon has begun developing their satellite constellation, aiming for competitive high-speed internet services.

This launch is a part of a larger effort to establish a robust satellite communication network, though updates on additional launches remain vague from Amazon.

Rajeev Badyal, Amazon’s vice president of Technology for Project Kuiper, expressed optimism after the previous launch success and highlighted the teams’ quick turnaround for the next mission.