Amazon to Launch First Batch of Kuiper Satellites

Amazon is ready for the launch of 27 low Earth orbit satellites set to deliver its delayed Project Kuiper internet service. The birds will be sent into space on 9 April.

The company sent up a pair of prototype satellites in October 2023 and initially planned to begin offering commercial services by the end of 2024. In its latest statement on the project, Amazon asserted the new satellites were a significant upgrade on the trial ones, with improved performance of every system and sub-system on board. It cited improved phased array antennas, processors, solar arrays, propulsion systems, and optical inter-satellite links.

The 27 LEO birds will form part of a planned 3,200 satellites set to make up its first Project Kuiper constellation. Its upcoming launch will take place in Florida on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Amazon noted it had secured more than 80 further launches to deliver its first full constellation conducted by several companies. The tech giant’s ultimate goal is to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to virtually any location on the planet with an expectation it will start providing the service to customers later in 2025.

“We’ve done extensive testing on the ground to prepare for this first mission, but there are some things you can only learn in flight, and this will be the first time we’ve flown our final satellite design and the first time we’ve deployed so many satellites at once,” said Project Kuiper VP Rajeev Badyal. “No matter how the mission unfolds, this is just the start of our journey, and we have all the pieces in place to learn and adapt as we prepare to launch again and again over the coming years.”