Tag: Project Kuiper
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VIPs cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite factory
Sen. Maria Cantwell speaks at a ribbon-cutting event for Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite factory in Kirkland, Wash. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) KIRKLAND, Wash. — Amazon gave U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and other VIPs a sneak peek at the company’s Project Kuiper satellite factory, where thousands of spacecraft are to be manufactured for a global…
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Final test: Amazon’s Project Kuiper begins to deorbit prototype broadband satellites
One of Amazon’s prototype satellites is seen in an orbital “selfie” from October 2023. (Amazon Photo) After a series of successful tests, Amazon says it has begun the monthslong process of bringing two prototype satellites for its Project Kuiper broadband internet constellation down from orbit. “The last milestone in our Protoflight mission is deorbiting Kuipersat-1…
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Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite network sets up logistics site and training program
Students at Lake Washington Institute of Technology get hands-on lab training. (LWIT Photo) Amazon says it’s establishing a logistics facility in Everett, Wash., and partnering with a technical college in Kirkland, Wash., to boost the supply chain and workforce pipeline for its Project Kuiper satellite broadband network. Project Kuiper is Amazon’s $10 billion effort to…
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Kuiper satellite network gets a big lift from Amazon’s CEO, but timeline is a bit hazy
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket sends two prototype Project Kuiper satellites into orbit for Amazon in October 2023. (ULA Photo) In his annual letter to shareholders, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says the company’s Project Kuiper satellite venture will be “a very large revenue opportunity” in the future — but he’s hedging his bets as…
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A year for gearing up: Aerospace ventures are counting down to big missions in 2024
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket lifts off with two prototype Amazon satellites on Oct. 6. (ULA Photo) If 2022 was packed with headline-grabbing aerospace developments — including the first pictures from the James Webb Telescope and the first launch of NASA’s giant moon rocket — 2023 was what you might call a rebuilding year.…
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Amazon reveals a secret about its Project Kuiper satellites: They’re using laser links
This graphic shows how Project Kuiper would use optical signaling between satellites. (Amazon Illustration) Ending years of speculation, Amazon has acknowledged that its Project Kuiper satellites will use laser-based links to communicate with each other, and says the system has already been successfully tested in orbit. Such a system — known as optical inter-satellite links,…
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A bitter pill: Amazon calls on rival SpaceX to launch Internet satellites
Amazon announced Friday that it has purchased three Falcon 9 rocket launches from SpaceX beginning in mid-2025 to help deploy the retail giant’s network of Kuiper Internet satellites. In a statement, Amazon said the SpaceX launches will provide “additional capacity” to “supplement existing launch contracts to support Project Kuiper’s satellite deployment schedule.” SpaceX has its own…
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Team of rivals: Amazon makes a deal with SpaceX for three Kuiper satellite launches
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launches a set of Starlink satellites on Nov. 27. Amazon has struck a deal to use Falcon 9 rockets for some of its Project Kuiper satellites as well. (SpaceX Photo) Amazon’s Project Kuiper may be a competitor for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband network, but business is business: Amazon says it has…
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Amazon buys three launches from SpaceX for rival internet constellation
A pair of prototype satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet constellation are encapsulated in a pair of payload fairings for launch aboard a ULA Atlas 5 rocket. Image: ULA Tech giant Amazon is adding a fifth rocket to launch its satellite internet constellation. In a surprise move on Friday afternoon, the company announced it purchased…
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Amazon’s Project Kuiper highlights new connections to AWS and partners in Japan
A Project Kuiper satellite terminal is set up with a wind farm in the background. (Amazon Photo) As Amazon gears up to build and launch thousands of satellites for its Project Kuiper constellation, it’s talking up the space-based broadband network’s potential to enable new options for managing data traffic with Amazon Web Services — including…