Amazon gets set to launch Kuiper prototype satellites

Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) will launch two Project Kuiper prototype satellites — KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 — on Oct. 6 in a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 501 rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to a ULA announcement.

A blog post published by the Seattle-based tech giant on Oct. 3 said the mission is mainly for gauging the connectivity between customer terminals, a ground-based communications network and the satellites in preparation for its rollout of global internet services. On the same date, Amazon released photos of the small terminals that customers will use at home to get internet access through Kuiper.  

In a prepared statement, Project Kuiper’s Vice President of Technology Rajeev Badyal said, “We’ve done extensive testing here in our lab and have a high degree of confidence in our satellite design, but there’s no substitute for on-orbit testing. This is Amazon’s first time putting satellites into space, and we’re going to learn an incredible amount regardless of how the mission unfolds.” 

The prototypes are two of more than 3,200 telecommunications satellites that will be made in Kirkland and shipped to Amazon’s satellite processing facility at Kennedy Space Center over the next several years. 

Amazon Kuiper satellite launch preparation

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An Atlas V rocket — seen here at the United Launch Alliance vertical integration facility — is part of the launch vehicle that will take two Amazon Kuiper prototype satellites to lower earth orbit in October 2023.

United Launch Alliance

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The Centaur upper stage will sit atop the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will carry Project Kuiper's prototype satellites to space.

United Launch Alliance

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These containers will hold satellites that will be launched into lower-earth orbit. Each satellite weighs about 1,300 to 1,540 pounds.

Amazon

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Amazon Kuiper customers will install an outdoor antenna — called a customer terminal — to communicate with satellites passing overhead.

Amazon

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According to Amazon, customer terminals of the past have been too large, too complex and too expensive for many customers, making it difficult for lower earth orbit constellations to bridge the digital divide in a meaningful way.

Amazon

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Media members and representatives from local educational institutions, workforce development organizations and business development groups gather at Kennedy Space Center for the July 21 announcement about Amazon's new $120 million satellite processing facility.

Sarah Kinbar/OBJ

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Amazon's $120 million investment in Florida is part of Project Kuiper, Amazon’s satellite broadband network designed to increase global high-speed broadband access through a constellation of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit.

Amazon

When testing is complete, the satellites won’t be brought back to Earth. The company plans to de-orbit both satellites before they ultimately burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere, said the Amazon post.

Amazon isn't going it alone on this project. The company has been awarded NASA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Defense Innovation Unit contracts that contribute to a massive hybrid space network project. Amazon also has formed partnerships with Verizon and Vodafone.

Project Kuiper has been particularly notable in Central Florida as Amazon has begun construction on a more-than-100,000-square-foot satellite processing facility at Kennedy Space Center. The project involves a $120 million investment in the region from Amazon, said a Space Florida news release.