Amazon will soon launch its prototypes of the Kuiper project, which must compete with Starlink

Amazon announced on Wednesday the upcoming launch of two satellites from the Kuiper project, a rival to the Starlink project carried by SpaceX. The e-commerce giant revealed in a press release relayed by 01Net that an experimental mission was scheduled for the beginning of 2023 for this satellite Internet system.

Two prototypes, Kuipersat-1 and Kuipersat-2, will be sent into space by the new Vulcan Centaur rocket from United Launch Alliance (ULA), an American aerospace specialist from Cape Canaveral, Florida. These two aircraft are expected to be completed later in the year, at the end of the last quarter. The rocket is also being assembled.

More than 3,000 satellites to launch

With this mission, the American giant intends to “test how the different parts of the network work together”. Eventually, Jeff Bezos’ company plans to send 3,236 satellites into low orbit. The company has already prepared 92 launches with ULA, Arianespace and Blue Origin. Amazon is keen to diversify the launchers to limit disappointments and “to meet the different needs of the program”.

However, the group has fallen behind its competitor SpaceX, which has already launched its Starlink network. The first satellites of the Kuiper project should have been sent before the end of this year. Amazon should be able to launch its service that makes high-speed Internet available before July 2026. The company must comply with the license granted by the United States Federal Communications Commission, deploying at least half of the satellites. The other half will be put into orbit no later than 2029. Eventually, Amazon plans to provide its service to 95% of the world’s population.