The launch of the first batch of 27 Kuiper space Internet satellites is scheduled for next week. Amazon has secured 80 such launches, each of which will deliver dozens of satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) to create a constellation capable of competing with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite. Amazon says it plans to start providing high-speed, low-latency Internet service “later this year.”
The satellites of the KA-01 mission – short for Kuiper Atlas 1 – will be launched by an Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance. The launch is currently scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 9, subject to favorable weather and technology conditions at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Amazon’s other partners in the Project Kuiper launch include Arianespace, Blue Origin, and, yes, SpaceX.
As a global service, Amazon’s space Internet will eventually be available “from almost anywhere in the world.” Users will need terminal antennas to connect to the satellite constellation. In 2023, Amazon said that its smallest dish, a seven-inch square design weighing just one pound, will provide speeds of up to 100 Mbps, making it an alternative to the Starlink Mini. Amazon will continue to compete with SpaceX by offering larger antennas for home and business use with speeds of up to 1 Gbps. Amazon plans to produce terminals “for less than $400 a piece,” which may or may not be subsidized to attract users.
Amazon’s first-generation satellite system will eventually consist of more than 3,200 low-orbit satellites that will fly at 17,000 miles per hour (27,359 km/h) at an altitude of 392 miles (630 km) above the Earth and circle the planet in about 90 minutes. SpaceX’s Starlink constellation currently has more than 7,000 satellites in low earth orbit, the first of which was launched in 2019.
It is noteworthy that the satellites flying on KA-01 are covered with a “unique dielectric mirror film” that scatters reflected sunlight. According to Amazon, this will help make them less visible to ground-based astronomers.
Although Amazon has already launched a couple of prototype satellites for Project Kuiper, its upcoming mission will include a number of innovations that involve some risk. “We’ve done extensive testing on the ground to prepare for this first mission, but there are things you can only learn in flight, and this will be the first time we’re launching our final satellite design and the first time we’re deploying so many satellites at once,” said Rajiv Badial, vice president of Project Kuiper.
“Regardless of how the mission unfolds, this is just the beginning of our journey, and we are well positioned to learn and adapt as we prepare for more launches in the years ahead.”
