Amazon to launch its first two internet satellites under project 'Kuiper' in late 2022

E-commerce giant Amazon will be launching its first two prototype internet satellites under the project Kuiper in the fourth quarter of 2022, as per the company's announcement made on November 1. According to CNBC's report, the company sought permission from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the launch and operation of the prototype satellites named 'KuiperSat-1' and 'KuiperSat-2'.

Amazon's announcement about its new project has fuelled the race to provide high-speed internet service via satellites. In a tweet shared by AmazonNews, the company said, "The first two satellites for Project Kuiper will launch next fall. This is a big step toward our mission of providing fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world". 

"We’ll soon be ready to see how [the satellites] perform in space. There is no substitute for on-orbit testing, and we expect to learn a lot given the complexity and risk of operating in such a challenging environment", Amazon vice president of technology Rajeev Badyal said in a statement, as per CNBC. 

Amazon plans to develop a network of over 3,000 satellites

Kickstarting with just two satellites, Amazon is aiming to establish a network of 3,236 satellites in low-Earth orbit to offer high-speed internet in all parts of the world. This pair of satellites will reportedly be launched in ABL Space's RS1 rocket, to test the company's communications and networking infrastructure with its ground-based stations in Texas, South America, and Asia-Pacific. Earlier in a blog, Amazon had said, "KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 will include much of technology and sub-systems that power the production version of our satellite design – phased array and parabolic antennas, power and propulsion systems, custom-designed modems and more", reported CNBC. 

Just last week, Amazon announced a new partnership with telecommunications company Verizon in its venture towards winning the satellite internet market that has seen a number of competitors emerge in the past few years. Needless to say, with the project, Amazon's Kuiper will take Elon Musk's satellite internet provider 'Starlink' head-on, although the latter is far ahead in the race. Other entities like One Web, Astranis and AST SpaceMobile are other competitors at various stages of development. 

For the success of its project, Amazon has pledged to invest over $10 billion in Kuiper, and its operations are set to begin once Amazon installs 578 satellites in orbit out of the 3,236.  

Image: Twitter/@amazonnews