News

Amazon.com Inc is set to launch its first pair of prototype internet satellites next month, according to a company spokesperson. The satellites are part of Amazon’s Kuiper program, which aims to provide global internet coverage from space. Originally planned to be launched on the inaugural flight of United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket, the satellites will now be launched on an Atlas V rocket supplied by Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance. The targeted launch date is September 26.

The decision to switch rockets was made due to delays in the development of the Vulcan rocket. Amazon is under pressure to meet a regulatory deadline of deploying half of the 3,200 satellites planned for its Kuiper internet network by 2026. The Vulcan rocket, initially expected to launch in early 2023, has encountered testing issues and is now scheduled for launch in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Amazon’s satellite internet endeavor is aimed at complementing its web services business and competing with SpaceX’s Starlink network. The company has committed billion to the project and has secured 83 launches in 2022, making it the largest commercial launch procurement to date. The Atlas V rocket, known for its reliability, will be used for nine of these launches. However, it is unclear whether the September launch counts as one of the nine previously procured by Amazon.

United Launch Alliance has stopped selling the Atlas V rocket but still has 19 missions to fly before its retirement. The company has imported sufficient Russian-made RD-180 engines for these remaining missions and does not have plans to order more.

Amazon’s entry into the satellite internet market is part of a larger race to provide global internet coverage from space. The competition is heating up, with SpaceX’s Starlink already operational and other companies, such as OneWeb, also planning similar constellations of satellites.

The post Amazon Plans to Launch Prototype Internet Satellites in September appeared first on satProviders.