Amazon signs contract with United Launch Alliance for 38 launches of Vulcan rocket

Centennial, Colo. (WAFF) - Amazon has signed a contract with the United Launch Alliance (ULA) for 38 launches of the Vulcan rocket as part of Project Kuiper.

The goal of Amazon’s Project Kuiper is to make high-speed, low-latency broadband more affordable and accessible around the world. The initiative would service individual households, schools, hospitals, businesses and more.

ULA president and CEO, Tory Bruno, expressed support and faith in Amazon’s goal with Project Kuiper.

“We strongly believe in the mission of Project Kuiper. We are honored to be entrusted with the majority of Amazon’s launches with a total of 47 missions, including the nine Atlas launches already on contract,” Bruno said in a statement. “At ULA we are focused on serving our customers and partnering with them to provide unmatched flight capabilities and mission operations and assurance, to provide the lowest risk and best-value launch solution.”

The Vulcan missions will launch from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

ULA Director of Strategy, Business Development and Sales, Chris Ellerhorst, said the contract will also increase investments in many other aspects of ULA.

“Vulcan Centaur’s unique, single-core, heavy lift design, coupled with its industry-leading large payload fairing, makes it an excellent fit for Amazon’s deployment of the majority of its Project Kuiper constellation,” Ellerhorst said in a statement. “In addition to the launches, this partnership includes substantial investments made by both companies in high-rate production, launch vehicle improvements, and launch infrastructure, to support Amazon’s long-term launch needs, which is great for the U.S. aerospace industry and supply chain.”