Amazon is launching 27 satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) next week, kicking off its years-in-the-making plan to set up a massive constellation and supply internet access everywhere on the globe—similar to SpaceX’s Starlink provider.
As part of the company’s Project Kuiper initiative, this may be the first batch of more than 3,200 satellites it plans to install via 80 and some launches over the next few years.
Amazon’s network will eventually include 3,200 satellites launched from partners including ULA, Arianespace, Blue Origin, or even SpaceX. Similar to that organization’s Starlink, the Kuiper task’s service will cover the complete planet while completed. It will work with a dish as small as seven inches that will deliver speeds up to 100 Mbps, smaller than Starlink’s Mini, or up to 1 Gbps with large dishes. The company stated the value of terminals can be under $400.
The satellites will cruise at 17,000 mph at 392 miles above Earth, circling the planet in about 90 minutes. They’ll use a dialectic mirror movie coating; it truly is speculated to scatter light and make them much less seen to ground-based totally astronomers, Amazon said. SpaceX’s constellation presently makes use of over 7,000 satellites, so the undertaking Kuiper and Starlink fleet will use over 10,000 LEO satellites once Amazon’s network is whole.
Read more: Starlink to begin operating in Pakistan within six months
Amazon released test satellites in October 2023 and proclaimed its early tests an achievement, with the pair sending and retrieving records at speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second. Later in December, it bolstered the network with a community of high-speed laser cross-links that promise further speed boosts.
The organization claims its mesh network can move facts about 30 percent quicker than terrestrial fiber optic cables.
Project Kuiper’s first launch will be the heaviest payload yet for the Atlas V, which will fly in its most powerful configuration. The rocket will consist of five solid rocket boosters similar to the main booster and a payload fairing 77 ft high and 16.4 ft extensive.
Despite past success on exams, the project isn’t always without risk. “We’ve done extensive testing on the floor to prepare for this first mission, but there are a few things you can only learn in flight, and this can be the primary time we’ve flown our final satellite design and the first time we’ve deployed so many satellites right now,” project Kuiper vp Rajeev Badyal wrote.
“No matter how the mission unfolds, this is simply the beginning of our journey, and we’ve all of the pieces in place to learn and adapt as we prepare to launch again and again over the coming years.”