Since the beginning of the month, Amazon, with the help of aerospace company ULA, has been trying to launch the first group of 27 Kuiper communications satellites into Earth orbit, but various factors have repeatedly hampered their efforts. Last night’s launch finally took place, marking a major milestone for the Kuiper project.
Image source: Amazon
The launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida became the site of the launch of a historic mission for Amazon at around 7:00 p.m. local time. All systems worked normally, and the weather was also favorable for the successful launch of the Atlas V launch vehicle with 27 Kuiper communications satellites on board. At an altitude of about 450 km above the Earth’s surface, the satellites should separate from the rocket, after which Amazon will be able to test their ability to maneuver in near-Earth space and provide communication with the company’s ground infrastructure.
Amazon’s plans to form a low-orbit satellite constellation first became known six years ago. It was intended to directly compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink infrastructure. The latter currently dominates this market segment and has about 8,000 satellites in low Earth orbit. According to licensing authorities, Amazon must launch at least 1,618 satellites into space by next summer, so the company will have to continue what it has started at a fairly high pace.
Without its own delivery vehicles, Amazon relies not only on ULA, but also on carriers from rival SpaceX, as well as European aerospace company Arianspace and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s own Blue Origin startup. The company currently has more than 80 launches booked and plans to spend at least $10 billion on building its satellite communications infrastructure. It plans to open the service to commercial customers who need satellite internet this year.