News

Amazon.com Inc is set to launch its first pair of prototype internet satellites at the end of next month, using a different rocket than initially planned. The company aims to provide internet access globally through its Kuiper program. The two satellites will be launched aboard an Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed. The targeted launch date is September 26th.

Originally, Amazon intended to utilize ULA’s new Vulcan rocket for the launch. However, delays in Vulcan’s development have prompted the company to switch to the Atlas V rocket instead. Amazon faces a regulatory deadline of 2026 to deploy half of the 3,200 satellites planned for its Kuiper internet network.

To compete with SpaceX’s Starlink network and complement its web services, Amazon has committed billion to its satellite internet project. In 2022, the company secured 83 launches to deploy the satellites in orbit, making it the largest commercial launch procurement ever. Nine of these launches will use the Atlas V rocket, which has a successful track record in NASA science missions and U.S. national security missions.

ULA ceased selling the Atlas V rocket in 2021, with 19 more missions scheduled before its retirement. The company has no plans to order additional Russian-made RD-180 engines for future launches.

It remains unclear whether the September launch will be counted among the nine previously procured rockets obtained by Amazon.

(Source: Joey Roulette)

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