Tag: satellites
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Market study says Amazon is spending up to $20B on Project Kuiper satellite network
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket lifts off with two prototype Amazon satellites in October 2023. (ULA Photo) A newly published market analysis of Amazon’s Project Kuiper effort to create a global satellite broadband network estimates the cost of getting the project off the ground at $16.5 billion to $20 billion — which is significantly…
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Amazon says it’s devoting another $19.5M to Project Kuiper satellite facility in Florida
Project Kuiper’s satellite processing center is taking shape in Florida. (Amazon Photo) Amazon plans to build a secondary support facility for its Project Kuiper satellite processing center at Kennedy Space Center in Florida — a $19.5 million expansion plan that brings total investment in the site to nearly $140 million. The 42,000-square-foot building will be…
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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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Starfish Space signs contract with Intelsat for satellite servicing beginning in 2026
An artist’s conception shows Starfish’s Otter satellite servicing spacecraft. (Starfish Space Illustration) Tukwila, Wash.-based Starfish Space has signed a contract with Intelsat to provide on-orbit life extension services to a geostationary satellite beginning in 2026. It’s the first commercial contract for Starfish’s Otter satellite servicing spacecraft, which is currently under development. The deal follows up…
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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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Space Force and Starfish Space lay out their roadmap for satellite docking mission
An artist’s conception shows the Otter spacecraft in geostationary Earth orbit. (Starfish Space Illustration) The U.S. Space Force says a Pentagon partnership with Tukwila, Wash.-based Starfish Space will result in a “first-of-its-kind docking mission” aimed at adding to the maneuverability of national security assets on orbit. Starfish Space’s $37.5 million contract for a demonstration of…
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Starfish tests satellite rendezvous system — and wins a $37.5M Space Force contract
An artist’s conception shows the Otter Pup satellite. (Starfish Space Illustration) Months after Starfish Space said it was giving up on its plan to test its satellite docking system in orbit, due to a thruster failure, the Tukwila, Wash.-based startup managed to coax one last rendezvous out of its first space mission. And this week…
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Climate science mission led by University of Washington wins backing from NASA
A color-coded image based on Copernicus Sentinel satellite data shows the extent of the Antarctic ozone hole in September 2023. (ESA / DLR Graphic) NASA has selected four proposals for climate science missions, including an effort led by a University of Washington researcher, to go forward for further study with millions of dollars in funding.…
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Portal Space Systems comes out of stealth with satellites that’ll be fired up by the sun
An artist’s conception shows Portal’s Supernova satellite bus in orbit, using a propulsion system that focuses sunlight on a heat exchanger to produce thrust. (Portal Space Systems Illustration) A Seattle-area startup called Portal Space Systems is emerging from stealth to share its vision for a type of satellite that’s apparently never been put into space…
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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…