Die letzten sechs Atlas V der ULA können außer Boeings Starliner | nichts starten Amazon gibt an, über genügend Satelliten im Orbit zu verfügen, um noch in diesem Jahr mit dem ersten Breitbanddienst in mittleren Breiten beginnen zu können.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/after-a-stellar-career-ulas-atlas-v-rocket-last-act-is-waiting-on-starliner/
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>The final flight of United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket is still several years off, but an important era for the once-dominant launch company came to a close last week.
>The final flight of an Atlas V for the Amazon Leo broadband constellation lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12:30 am EDT (04:30 UTC) last Thursday, sending 29 satellites to orbit to move the network closer to providing initial services.
>All 29 spacecraft deployed from the Atlas V rocket less than an hour after launch. They will use onboard propulsion to raise their orbits from an altitude of approximately 289 miles (465 kilometers) to their final operating positions at 392 miles (630 kilometers) above the Earth.
>Thursday’s launch marked the ninth Atlas V flight for Amazon Leo and the fourth Atlas V launch in less than three months, hitting a cadence the rocket has rarely seen in nearly a quarter-century of service. The surge of launches comes as the Atlas V nears the end of its near-flawless career. Thursday’s launch was the 110th flight of an Atlas V rocket since its debut in 2002.
>A long goodbye
>There are six more Atlas Vs in ULA’s inventory to launch Boeing’s Starliner crew capsules to the International Space Station (ISS) under contract to NASA. But it is not certain today that Boeing will use all six of those Atlas Vs. Last year, NASA reduced the number of guaranteed missions in Boeing’s commercial crew contract from six to four after chronic delays in the program. The next Starliner flight will haul cargo to the ISS, expending one of the remaining Atlas Vs.
This is unfortunate for Atlas. Even if Starliner isn’t able to complete its contract for the ISS, maybe NASA will shift the remaining flights to other stations instead? How long can these vehicles remain in storage for, and still be safe to fly?
If they have two Leftovers they can go to the Smithsonian / rocket garden maybe?
If I recall correctly the commercial space stations were also being designed for Starliner crew rotations. So even if NASA doesn’t use all of them, there may be other uses. And SpaceX is wanting to wind down the F9 & Dragon in favor of Starship.
Starliner is like a wrecking ball that never stops rolling. Such a disappointment.
These 2 engine Centaurs are optimized for Starliner launches – but even if they aren’t ideal for satellite launches could they be used on a Vulcan for an Amazon Leo launch, just with fewer satellites if needed. Or are these Centaur IIIs and thus incompatible with Vulcan?