Amazon has just struck a deal with SpaceX, Elon Musk’s aerospace company, to tap into their services for setting up the Kuiper satellite system. This move by Amazon comes as they plan to launch Kuiper satellites into space by 2025, a partnership involving three scheduled flights.
Kuiper aims to create a network of communication satellites that will deliver high-speed internet. The plan involves positioning 3,236 satellites across various orbital paths. Amazon intends to place 1,156 satellites in the highest orbit at an altitude of 630 km. Below that, at 20 km lower, another set of 1,296 satellites will orbit, while 784 satellites are planned for the lowest orbit at 590 km.
Scheduled to kick off in 2024, the project has already put some test satellites into action. The rollout of regular Kuiper satellites is slated for early next year, with the service becoming available to initial test customers by the latter part of 2024.
Amazon highlights the adaptability of these satellites to various rocket systems for their journey into space. The company has secured launch capacities from different providers, including Arianespace, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance.
What’s interesting here is SpaceX’s involvement in launching Kuiper satellites. This move raises eyebrows as Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, runs Blue Origin, another space company, although less successful than SpaceX. SpaceX has been carrying out supply missions to the International Space Station for years and has its own satellite internet system called Starlink. Now, they’re lending a hand to their competitor, Amazon, in this ambitious satellite project.
