{"id":17255,"date":"2023-10-07T01:48:25","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T17:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/atlas-v-rocket-launches-prototype-amazon-satellites-to-test-project-kuiper-network\/"},"modified":"2023-10-07T01:48:25","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T17:48:25","slug":"atlas-v-rocket-launches-prototype-amazon-satellites-to-test-project-kuiper-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/atlas-v-rocket-launches-prototype-amazon-satellites-to-test-project-kuiper-network\/","title":{"rendered":"Atlas V rocket launches prototype Amazon satellites to test Project Kuiper network"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"344\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/231006-kuiper2-630x344.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-793458\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/231006-kuiper2-630x344.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/231006-kuiper2-1260x687.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/231006-kuiper2-768x419.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/231006-kuiper2-1536x838.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/231006-kuiper2.jpg 1690w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">United Launch Alliance\u2019s Atlas V rocket launches Amazon\u2019s Project Kuiper satellites. (ULA via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Amazon\u2019s first satellites were launched today on a mission aimed at testing out the hardware and software for the Seattle company\u2019s worldwide Project Kuiper broadband internet constellation.<\/p>\n<p>Two prototype satellites \u2014 known as KuiperSat 1 and 2 \u2014 rode a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida into space at 2:06 p.m. ET (11:06 a.m. PT). <\/p>\n<p>United Launch Alliance provided updates on what it called the Protoflight mission via its X \/ Twitter account. In a post-launch statement, ULA declared the mission to be successful and said that the Atlas V \u201cprecisely\u201d delivered the satellites to orbit.<\/p>\n<p>The satellites were sent into 311-mile-high (500-kilometer-high) orbits with a 30-degree inclination. In a status update, Amazon said Project Kuiper\u2019s mission operations center in Redmond, Wash., confirmed first contact with both satellites within an hour after launch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFive plus years in the making. So much care, persistence, boldness and beauty,\u201d Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said in a posting to Instagram and Threads. \u201cWhat an amazing endeavor. \u2026 Big milestone and much more to come!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Project Kuiper, an ambitious program that was publicly unveiled in 2019, aims to provide broadband internet access \u2014 and satellite-based access to Amazon Web Services \u2014 to millions of people who are currently underserved.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Atlas V launches Project Kuiper Protoflight\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LNqvGx9qebs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Amazon plans to use the prototypes \u2014 which were built at Project Kuiper\u2019s HQ in Redmond \u2014 to test the hardware on the spacecraft, as well as ground operations and customer terminals. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve done extensive testing here in our lab and have a high degree of confidence in our satellite design, but there\u2019s no substitute for on-orbit testing,\u201d Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology for Project Kuiper, said in a launch preview. \u201cThis is Amazon\u2019s first time putting satellites into space, and we\u2019re going to learn an incredible amount regardless of how the mission unfolds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The results of the tests will factor into further preparations for building production-grade satellites at a factory that\u2019s being set up in Kirkland, Wash. If all goes according to plan, mass production of thousands of satellites will begin early next year, and Amazon will make Project Kuiper service available on a beta testing basis to commercial partners by the end of 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Launch of the prototypes had been delayed for a year due to logistical and technical schedule slips. Most recently, ULA switched the launch from its next-generation Vulcan rocket to the Atlas V, a workhorse rocket that\u2019s nearing retirement.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon is facing schedule pressure from at least two directions: First of all, the terms of Project Kuiper\u2019s license from the Federal Communications Commission require Amazon to have at least half of the 3,236 satellites in its proposed constellation launched by mid-2026.<\/p>\n<p>To meet that requirement, Amazon reserved scores of rocket launches \u2014 on Atlas V\u2019s, Vulcans, Ariane 6\u2019s and on the New Glenn rockets currently being developed by Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture.<\/p>\n<p>Just as importantly, Amazon is trying to catch up with SpaceX and its Starlink satellite internet service, which already has more than 2 million customers. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"To Low Earth Orbit and Beyond: Connectivity for All\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4pSn7aoLidU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Dave Limp \u2014 who is leaving his longtime post as Amazon\u2019s chief of devices and services to become Blue Origin\u2019s CEO in December \u2014 insisted last year during a live-streamed chat session that there\u2019d be room enough in the marketplace for multiple broadband satellite constellations in low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think more constellations is generally good,\u201d he said. \u201cI do think we have some benefits, though, in ours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He pointed to the synergies between Project Kuiper and Amazon\u2019s other lines of business, including AWS. He also hinted that Project Kuiper will compete with Starlink on a price basis.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon says it\u2019s committed $10 billion to getting Project Kuiper off the ground. More than 1,000 employees are said to be working on the project, and Amazon\u2019s careers website lists an additional 200-plus open positions \u2014 with most of those positions based in Washington state.<\/p>\n<p>Back in 2019, Bezos was asked to identify one of Amazon\u2019s recent \u201cbig bets,\u201d and he didn\u2019t hesitate to name Project Kuiper. Will that multibillion-dollar bet pay off? Today\u2019s launch marked a significant step toward finding out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>United Launch Alliance\u2019s Atlas V rocket launches Amazon\u2019s Project Kuiper satellites. (ULA via YouTube) Amazon\u2019s first satellites were launched today on a mission aimed at testing out the hardware and software for the Seattle company\u2019s worldwide Project Kuiper broadband internet constellation. Two prototype satellites \u2014 known as KuiperSat 1 and 2 \u2014 rode a United [&hellip;]<\/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":[275,724,962,20,4336,442,21,750],"class_list":["post-17255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-amazon","tag-atlas-5","tag-project-kuiper","tag-satellite","tag-satellite-broadband","tag-satellites","tag-space","tag-united-launch-alliance"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17255"}],"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=17255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17255\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}