Amazon is set to launch its first two prototype satellites, KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2, as part of its Project Kuiper initiative aimed at providing fast, affordable broadband from low Earth orbit (LEO). The launch marks Amazon’s entry into the burgeoning space broadband market, where it will try to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink network.
The Protoflight mission will serve as a crucial testing phase for Project Kuiper, which plans to deploy more than 3,200 satellites over the next six years. Rajeev Badyal, Project Kuiper’s vice president of technology, emphasized the importance of 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,” said Badyal on Thursday.
Key Elements of the Protoflight Mission:
The mission aims to gather real-world data to complement years of lab and field testing, offering insights into the network’s performance in both ground and space operations. The data will also inform mission procedures for satellite processing, launch, and operations.
Amazon has engineered the Kuiper System for continuous improvement and plans to apply learnings from the Protoflight mission to refine its hardware, software, and infrastructure. The first production satellites are scheduled for launch in the first half of 2024, with beta testing for early commercial customers expected by the end of that year.
According to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who tracks Starlink satellites, there have been 5200 Starlinks launched to date, while there are currently 4,845 in orbit, as of the end of September 2023. Amazon has a ways to go before it can even rival SpaceX’s satellite constellation. SpaceX says Starlink recently passed 2 million customers worldwide.
