{"id":17189,"date":"2024-06-27T21:11:56","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T13:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/vips-cut-the-ribbon-at-the-grand-opening-of-amazons-project-kuiper-satellite-factory\/"},"modified":"2024-06-27T21:11:56","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T13:11:56","slug":"vips-cut-the-ribbon-at-the-grand-opening-of-amazons-project-kuiper-satellite-factory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/vips-cut-the-ribbon-at-the-grand-opening-of-amazons-project-kuiper-satellite-factory\/","title":{"rendered":"VIPs cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Amazon\u2019s Project Kuiper satellite factory"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sen. Maria Cantwell speaks at a ribbon-cutting event for Amazon\u2019s Project Kuiper satellite factory in Kirkland, Wash. (GeekWire Photo \/ Alan Boyle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

KIRKLAND, Wash. \u2014 Amazon gave U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and other VIPs a sneak peek at the company\u2019s Project Kuiper satellite factory, where thousands of spacecraft are to be manufactured for a global broadband network.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s event included remarks by local officials as well as a ribbon-cutting ceremony \u2014 but access to sensitive areas of the 172,000-square-foot facility was limited due to concerns about confidentiality and export control requirements.<\/p>\n

The factory, which quietly began operations in April, serves as the manufacturing hub for Amazon\u2019s satellite project. Work is also being done at Project Kuiper\u2019s 219,000-square-foot headquarters in nearby Redmond. <\/p>\n

Last year, Amazon successfully tested two Redmond-built prototype satellites in orbit. Now full-scale manufacturing is ramping up in Kirkland, with the first completed production satellites due to be shipped to Florida this summer.<\/p>\n

Cantwell noted that the state\u2019s aerospace sector is a $70 billion industry that supports 250,000 jobs, and said that the Project Kuiper factory will add to Washington\u2019s technological prowess.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe like to say we\u2019re the Silicon Valley of space here in Puget Sound,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd Kirkland now is joining the fight, helping us deliver not just better service, but a skilled workforce and great attention to how the United States is going to be very competitive in space communication.\u201d<\/p>\n

The grand opening was marked by a spirit of neighborliness. \u201cWe are so very grateful that this amazing facility is with the City of Kirkland. Amazon\u2019s choice to manufacture satellites here in Kirkland is an incredible investment in our community,\u201d Kirkland Mayor Kelli Curtis said.<\/p>\n

Brian Huseman, Amazon\u2019s vice president of public policy and community engagement, was grateful as well. He welcomed Cantwell, Curtis and the other VIPs to the factory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to thank all of these partners and officials for your commitment to closing the digital divide and recognizing that all broadband technologies are needed to reach all corners of this state,\u201d Huseman said. \u201cNow the space industry is growing, and it\u2019s critical to prepare our next generation for the jobs of the future. That\u2019s happening right here in Washington. Project Kuiper is creating an entirely new category of advanced manufacturing in Amazon\u2019s home state.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Sen.
Flanked by Amazon executives and local officials, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., cuts the ceremonial ribbon for Amazon\u2019s Project Kuiper satellite factory in Kirkland, Wash. (GeekWire Photo \/ Alan Boyle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amazon says more than 120 employees have already been hired to work at the factory, and the facility\u2019s workforce is projected to grow to 200. In all, more than 2,000 employees are said to be working on Project Kuiper at Puget Sound locations \u2014 mostly in Redmond, but also in Kirkland and Bellevue. <\/p>\n

Project Kuiper is also setting up a 184,000-square-foot logistics center in Everett, Wash., that\u2019s expected to employ another 200 skilled workers. And it\u2019s partnering with Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland to support training programs for satellite technicians.<\/p>\n

Steve Metayer, Project Kuiper\u2019s vice president of production operations, said Amazon chose Kirkland as the site of the satellite factory because of its proximity to the core design and engineering teams in Redmond. Having so much of the Project Kuiper supply chain in the same neck of the woods is also \u201callowing us to reduce the test time from months to a matter of days for each individual satellite,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The first full-scale Kuiper mission is scheduled for launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in the fourth quarter of this year. Further deployments will follow, with launches provided by ULA, Blue Origin and SpaceX in Florida, plus Arianespace in French Guiana. <\/p>\n

Metayer said the Project Kuiper team is on track to begin offering broadband service to customers in 2025. Under the terms of Amazon\u2019s license from the Federal Aviation Administration, half of the planned 3,232 satellites must be deployed by mid-2026, with the rest due to be placed into low Earth orbit by 2029.<\/p>\n

Those are ambitious targets to hit \u2014 and to hit them, Amazon plans to ramp up operations in Kirkland to build up to five satellites per day. That\u2019s close to the six-a-day pace that SpaceX says it can reach at its Starlink satellite manufacturing facility in Redmond, which is about a 20-minute drive away.<\/p>\n

Starlink already has more than 6,000 satellites in orbit and more than 3 million subscribers around the globe. Yet another satellite operator, Eutelsat OneWeb, is building up its broadband network in league with an array of partners.<\/p>\n

To close the gap, Amazon has enlisted its own league of partners, including Verizon in the U.S., Vodafone and Vodacom in Europe and Africa, NTT and SKY Perfect JSAT in Japan and Vrio Corp. in South America. They\u2019re all depending on Project Kuiper to deliver new options for high-speed connectivity \u2014 and Metayer voiced confidence that the newly opened Kirkland factory will do its part.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are some of the most advanced communication satellites ever built, and we want to ensure every Project Kuiper spacecraft we launch meets our standards for performance, reliability and safety,\u201d he said. \u201cBuilding one or two is incredibly complex. Building four or five a day is exponentially hard. But the team is making incredible progress, as you\u2019ve seen today. We\u2019re building and testing flight hardware at this facility as we speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other highlights and sidelights from today\u2019s opening:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Leaders of the Project Kuiper team downplayed the idea that they were in a race with SpaceX\u2019s Starlink network. Huseman said that there\u2019ll be opportunities for multiple winners in the satellite broadband market. \u201cMe, I just worry about building our satellites,\u201d Metayer said. \u201cThat\u2019s my role, to build a facility out.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • Would Amazon market Project Kuiper to consumers, or would it leave that job to its telecom partners? Huseman hedged when answering the question. \u201cThere are going to be a variety of offerings you have, based upon your customer needs,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will have more information to share about how that will work as we get closer to launch.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • Cantwell appeared to make a veiled reference to Boeing\u2019s woes when she referred to Amazon\u2019s approach to doing high-quality aerospace manufacturing at production rates typically associated with the automotive industry. \u201cThere\u2019s somebody else around here that needs to learn from this kind of build quality in the process,\u201d she said.<\/li>\n
  • Like many large Amazon facilities, the Kirkland factory includes a cafeteria (\u201cStratos\u201d) as well as a space for meditation and a room for mothers. A bookshelf in a lobby area highlights books by science-fiction authors including Ted Chiang (\u201cArrival\u201d), Cixin Liu (\u201cThe Three-Body Problem\u201d), Frank Herbert (\u201cDune\u201d) and Kim Stanley Robinson (Mars Trilogy).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Check out these images from the factory, all provided by Amazon:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Solar array assembly at Amazon\u2019s Project Kuiper satellite factory in Kirkland. (Amazon Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    Part qualification at the factory. (Amazon Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    Vacuum chambers in the space simulation lab. (Amazon Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    Working in the lab at the satellite factory. (Image From Amazon Video)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    On the factory floor. (Image From Amazon Video)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    Racks of parts in the factory\u2019s warehouse. (Amazon Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    The lobby of the factory features a light sculpture hanging from the ceiling and a mission statement about Project Kuiper\u2019s aim \u201cto bridge the digital divide.\u201d (Amazon Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    A mural on the wall facing the factory floor is imprinted with the text of Project Kuiper\u2019s license from the Federal Communications Commission. (Image From Amazon Video)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    This report has been updated with information from the ribbon-cutting ceremony and images from Amazon.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Sen. Maria Cantwell speaks at a ribbon-cutting event for Amazon\u2019s Project Kuiper satellite factory in Kirkland, Wash. (GeekWire Photo \/ Alan Boyle) KIRKLAND, Wash. \u2014 Amazon gave U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and other VIPs a sneak peek at the company\u2019s Project Kuiper satellite factory, where thousands of spacecraft are to be manufactured for a global […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[275,962,20,4336,442,21],"class_list":["post-17189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-amazon","tag-project-kuiper","tag-satellite","tag-satellite-broadband","tag-satellites","tag-space"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17189"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17189\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}