# Vulcan returns with Amazon Leo: when LV-01 launches and who pays

> Grounded since February over its boosters, Vulcan returns with six of them and a load of Amazon satellites. For ULA the stakes are huge, while around 600 Amazon satellites sit on the ground.

- Published: 14 Oct 2026 (2026-10-14)
- Author: Stanislav Milchev, Editor
- Section: Launches
- Tags: ULA, Vulcan, Amazon Leo, Northrop Grumman, GEM 63XL
- Canonical URL: https://www.spacecapex.com/en/news/vulcan-returns-amazon-leo-lv-01

There is still no official date. Schedules point to no earlier than 29 October from pad **SLC-41** at Cape Canaveral, but ULA has announced neither a day nor a time. The latest we know comes from [Via Satellite](https://www.satellitetoday.com/manufacturing/2026/10/08/amazon-hits-1000-sat-milestone-blue-origin-bolsters-sat-manufacturing/), on 8 October. At that point Amazon said the satellites had already been mounted on its first Vulcan and that it expected a launch "in the coming weeks". The company calls the mission **Leo Vulcan 1**; in launch schedules it appears as **LV-01.**

### Why this rocket, and why now

Vulcan has not flown since 12 February. That day, around 20 seconds after lift-off on the military USSF-87 mission, one of the four **Northrop Grumman GEM 63XL** solid boosters lost its nozzle. The rocket rolled more than planned, but the BE-4 engines compensated and the satellites reached orbit, [Spaceflight Now](https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/05/14/ula-confirms-successful-solid-rocket-booster-test-as-vulcan-anomaly-investigation-continues/) recalls. The awkward part is that it had happened before: in October 2024, on the second test flight, another booster lost its nozzle 37 seconds in. Two problems in four flights is a lot, and the Space Force paused all its Vulcan missions on 26 February.

The consequences proved costly. According to [KeepTrack](https://keeptrack.space/deep-dive/vulcan-grounding-nssl), the **GPS III SV-10** navigation satellite was moved to Falcon 9, all 18 launches under the SBST programme (around $1.6bn) went to SpaceX, and Northrop Grumman booked a one-off $71m charge for the boosters. Northrop tested an improved nozzle on 15 April, but the investigation has not yet officially closed.

In this situation Amazon is ULA's lifeline. In July the last Atlas V flew with Amazon satellites. Six Atlas Vs remain, all reserved for Boeing's Starliner, and none of them has a date, [SpacePolicyOnline](https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/atlas-v-launches-more-amazon-leos-with-only-six-starliner-flights-left-on-the-books/) reports. ULA vice-president Gary Wentz said back in May that the first customer after the return to flight would "in all likelihood" be [Amazon](https://www.spacecapex.com/en/news/blue-origin-555m-texas-satellite-factory). The logic is cynical but understandable: if something goes wrong, better to lose commercial internet satellites than a billion-dollar Pentagon spacecraft.

The configuration makes the bet even more intriguing. VC6L means six solid boosters and a long fairing. According to the [list of Vulcan launches](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Vulcan_launches), this will be the first flight with six boosters, the first with the shorter Centaur V upper stage optimised for low orbit, and the first rocket assembled in the new VIF-A hangar. A rocket grounded because of its boosters is returning with more boosters than ever. I'm not saying it's dangerous, since the new nozzle has been tested. But three firsts on one flight is a lot for a rocket that has to prove it is reliable.

### How many satellites, and why Amazon is in a hurry

The exact number has not been announced. ULA has said Vulcan can carry around 45 Amazon satellites, against 29 on Atlas V, [Decatur Daily](https://www.decaturdaily.com/news/morgan_county/decatur/ula-to-prep-future-launch-of-decatur-built-vulcan-for-amazon-despite-rocket-investigation/article_47ad966c-9b0d-4f1b-a07c-d13d0f7520aa.html) reported, while some schedules list 40. With 45, the maths works out like this: 38 rockets ordered at 45 satellites each makes 1,710 satellites, more than half of the roughly 3,200 planned.

Amazon needs them. According to the company, its Kirkland factory has now built 1,000 satellites, and 396 are in orbit. Around 600 are waiting on the ground. The FCC deadline to have half the constellation up by 30 July was missed. On 5 June the FCC granted an extension, but with a condition: after 31 July Amazon loses its priority over other operators, and the full constellation must still be in orbit by July 2029, [Engadget](https://engadget.com/2190255/fcc-relaxes-amazon-leo-satellite-launch-deadline) reports. Commercial service is promised for the end of this year.

### Who pays

| Who pays | To whom | For what | How much | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Amazon | ULA | 38 Vulcan launches (April 2022 contract) | Not disclosed | [Amazon](https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-secures-83-launches-arianespace-blue-origin-and-united) |
| Amazon | The Amazon Leo programme | Satellites, launches, ground network | Over $10bn to date, plus $1bn extra spending in 2026 | [Via Satellite](https://www.satellitetoday.com/finance/2026/02/09/amazon-expects-to-increase-spending-on-amazon-leo-by-1b-in-2026) |
| Northrop Grumman | — (own cost) | The GEM 63XL booster problem | $71m one-off charge in Q1 2026 | [KeepTrack](https://keeptrack.space/deep-dive/vulcan-grounding-nssl) |
| US Space Force | SpaceX (instead of ULA) | 18 SBST missions | Around $1.6bn | [KeepTrack](https://keeptrack.space/deep-dive/vulcan-grounding-nssl) |

The last two rows don't pay for LV-01. They show the price of the pause: who is absorbing the loss, and where the money ULA didn't get ended up.

Amazon itself called the 2022 deal "the largest commercial procurement of launch vehicles in history": 38 Vulcans, 18 Ariane 6s and 12 New Glenns, plus options. Four years on, the picture looks ironic. Ariane 6 flies for Amazon more regularly than the two American rockets combined. Vulcan has been grounded since February, and New Glenn has no pad. And Amazon, which initially steered clear of SpaceX, has since bought 13 Falcon 9 flights.

### What I think

For Amazon this flight matters, but it isn't make-or-break: it has both Ariane 6 and Falcon 9. For ULA it is exactly the opposite. If a six-booster Vulcan flies cleanly, ULA has 31 rockets in production in Decatur, Alabama, a customer with 37 orders left and a chance to win back the Space Force's trust. If something goes wrong, the next conversation about ULA will be about who buys it. I'm betting on a clean flight, simply because ULA will delay the launch yet again if it has even the slightest doubt. Delay has a clear price, though: every month around 600 satellites sit in storage while Starlink sells internet.

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Source: SpaceCAPEX — https://www.spacecapex.com/en/news/vulcan-returns-amazon-leo-lv-01