Amazon’s plans to put its own satellites into orbit became known over four years ago. Now the Kuiper project is celebrating its first milestone; the first satellites have been launched.
This is reported by the company, which will invest a total of more than 10 billion US dollars in its own satellite network.
According to Amazon, the goal of Project Kuiper is to bring fast, affordable broadband to underserved and unserved areas around the world. If this idea sounds familiar, it’s exactly what Elon Musk is offering with Starlink.
After approval from the FCC, Amazon plans to launch more than 3,200 satellites in the next six years.
The KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 prototypes are the first versions of the satellites and have undergone a long test phase. The prototypes have now been successfully launched with the Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The rocket delivered the first two satellites to their destination in low Earth orbit.
“We have conducted extensive testing here in our laboratory and have a high level of confidence in our satellite design, but there is no substitute for in-orbit testing,” said Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology at Project Kuiper. “This is the first time Amazon has launched satellites, and we will learn an incredible amount regardless of how the mission unfolds.
The first important step has now been completed – albeit with a considerable delay. Amazon had actually planned the first launches for 2022. It is now hoped that there will be no further delays. The company expects to launch more satellites in the first half of 2024 and to conduct initial beta testing with some customers late next year.
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