Amazon plans to launch two prototype satellites in 2022 for its Project Kuiper broadband constellation.
KuiperSat-1, and KuiperSat-2 will launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the fourth quarter next year, respectively, the company announced today (Nov.
They will be testing key technology for Project Kuiper, a constellation in low earth orbit (LEO), that Amazon envisages to include more than 3,200 satellites.
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"We have a lot of new technology that will help us meet our performance and cost targets for Project Kuiper. Rajeev Badyal (Vice President of Technology for Project Kuiper) stated in a statement that all of the systems have passed their tests in lab and simulated environments. He also said that they will soon be ready to test in space.
Badyal stated that there is no substitute for orbit testing and that he expects to learn a lot from the complex and potentially dangerous environment. "We are eager to get started."
KuiperSat-1, KuiperSat-2 will orbit using the RS1, a rocket designed by ABL Space Systems in California. Amazon announced today that it had signed a multilaunch agreement with ABL Space Systems to provide Project Kuiper's early launches.
According to ABL specifications, the RS1 stands at 88 feet (27 meters) tall and can launch 2,975 pounds (1.350 kilograms) payload to LEO. ABL charges $12 million per launch of the two stage rocket. Although the RS1 has yet to fly, ABL stated that it plans to launch its first launch from Alaska's Pacific Spaceport Complex by 2021.
Amazon announced earlier this year that it had reached a deal to launch the Atlas V rocket, which will carry operational Project Kuiper craft. The Atlas V rocket will be launched on nine separate launches.
Project Kuiper isn’t the only broadband constellation that is in development. SpaceX, for example, has launched over 1,700 spacecraft to support its Starlink network. This network could eventually be made up of tens of thousands. OneWeb has launched more than half the 648 spacecraft it plans to launch.
These megaconstellation plans concern dark-sky advocates as well as professional astronomers. Professional astronomers have been shocked and dismayed at the brightness of SpaceX's Starlink Satellites. Amazon promises to reduce the negative impact Project Kuiper will have on the night sky.
Representatives from the company wrote the same statement. "We will gather data to compare reflectivity between both spacecraft, and share any lessons with the astronomy community after the mission."
