Jane Edwards
A United Launch Alliance-built rocket carrying the first batch of Amazon’s Kuiper internet satellites took off Monday from a launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, CNBC reported.
“We had a nice smooth countdown, beautiful weather, beautiful liftoff, and Atlas V is on its way to orbit to take those 27 Kuiper satellites, put them on their way and really start this new era in internet connectivity,” Caleb Weiss, a systems engineer at ULA, said during a livestream following the first Kuiper mission launch.
Amazon is working to meet a deadline set by the Federal Communications Commission, which expects the company to have 1,618 Kuiper satellites up in orbit by July 2026.
The company has signed deals with ULA, SpaceX, Arianespace and Blue Origin for more than 80 launches to bring satellites to space as part of Project Kuiper.
What Is Project Kuiper?
Launched in 2019, Project Kuiper seeks to deploy a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites in low Earth orbit to deliver fast, affordable broadband service to unserved and underserved communities worldwide.
According to the report, Amazon is spending as much as $10 billion on the project and expects to start delivering commercial service to government agencies, enterprises and consumers later in 2025.
