Atlas 5 – Spaceflight Now

March 22, 2026

Breaking News

[ March 20, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 25 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
[ March 19, 2026 ] NASA returns its SLS rocket back to the launch pad ahead of planned April flight of Artemis 2 Artemis
[ March 18, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
[ March 16, 2026 ] Space launches 29 Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket on St. Patrick’s Day morning Falcon 9
[ March 16, 2026 ] SpaceX reaches 10,000 simultaneous Starlink satellites in orbit following Falcon 9 launch from California Falcon 9

ULA sets sights on ramping up launch cadence in 2026

February 11, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The company came under new leadership in December following the departure of Tory Bruno, who left the company to join Blue Origin.

ULA Atlas 5 launch puts Amazon’s 180th broadband satellite in low Earth orbit

December 15, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred at 3:28 a.m. EST (0828 UTC), as the RD-180 engine on the booster roared to lift alongside five solid rocket boosters.

ULA launches ViaSat-3 following valve replacement on Atlas 5 rocket

November 13, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission was the second of three planned spacecraft that Viasat plans to operate in geostationary orbit. United Launch Alliance launched from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:04 p.m. EST (0304 UTC).

Issue with Atlas 5 booster liquid oxygen vent valve causes second scrub of ViaSat-3 F2 launch

November 6, 2025 Spaceflight Now

United Launch Alliance scrubbed a second launch attempt for an Atlas 5 rocket carrying the ViaSat-3 F2 satellite. A new launch date hasn’t been announced.

Atlas booster valve issue scrubs launch of ViaSat-3 F2 satellite

November 5, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission is the second of three planned spacecraft that Viasat plans to operate in geostationary orbit. United Launch Alliance is targeting liftoff from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station no earlier than Thursday, Nov. 6, at 10:16 p.m. EST (0316 UTC).

ViaSat-3 F2 satellite arrives in Florida ahead of late October launch

October 1, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The spacecraft will launch onboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 551 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It’s built on Boeing’s 702MP+ satellite bus.

ULA launches third batch of Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites from Cape Canaveral

September 25, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

This is the third time that United Launch Alliance will launch these broadband satellites, but it’s the fifth batch heading to orbit overall for the constellation. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:09 a.m. EDT (1230 UTC).

ULA launches Kuiper 2 mission on Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral

June 22, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The 27 Kuiper satellites will head to low Earth orbit on an Atlas 5 rocket flying in a 551 configuration, using five solid rocket boosters. ULA launched its rocket at 6:54 a.m. EDT (1054 UTC) on Monday, June 23.

Atlas 5 booster engine issue causes scrub of Monday’s Kuiper 2 launch

June 15, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The 27 Kuiper satellites will head to low Earth orbit on an Atlas 5 rocket flying in a 551 configuration, using five solid rocket boosters. ULA has not announced a new launch date following the scrub.

ULA launches first production Amazon Kuiper satellites on Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral

April 28, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The rescheduled mission comes following the April 9 scrub due to poor weather and a period on the Eastern Range marked by a noted lack of orbital launches. Liftoff from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is targeting Monday, April 28, at 7 p.m. EDT (2300 UTC).