ULA Sets November 13 Date for Vulcan Leo 1 Launch

United Launch Alliance plans to launch the Vulcan Leo 1 mission on November 13, carrying 40 Amazon Leo satellites. ULA’s planned mission uses six solid rocket boosters with a revised nozzle design.

Key details

• Vulcan Leo 1 would mark the rocket’s fifth flight.
• The mission is planned to deploy the satellites from an adapter on the Centaur upper stage, with deployment expected to take about 30 minutes.
• ULA assembled and processed the rocket at its Cape Canaveral facilities, moving it to Space Launch Complex 41 for testing before returning it to the integration facility.
• ULA said design and process changes addressed potential contributors to an earlier booster anomaly.

Vulcan Leo 1 is set to carry 40 Amazon Leo satellites.

Why it matters

The launch would add 40 satellites to Amazon Leo’s planned constellation and make Vulcan part of the deployment effort. ULA’s reported customer manifest includes 38 contracted Vulcan missions for Amazon, linking the rocket program to a substantial sequence of planned launches.

What happens next

The November launch date sets the next milestone for Vulcan and Amazon Leo’s satellite deployment campaign. What will the mission reveal about Vulcan’s role in building out the constellation?