Amazon’s Project Kuiper hopes to launch first two prototype satellites in late 2022

Amazon's would-be outer-cyberspace project, Project Kuiper, aims to launch its first cardinal prototype satellites in the fourth quarter of 2022, accordant to an experimental launch licence the company filed with the Federal Communications Commission nowadays. Called KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2, the two prototypes are unlikely to launch on an empirical new rocket named the RS1, currently being developed by startup ABL Space Systems based in El Segundo, California.

Kuiper's goal is to set up a giant constellation of up to 3,236 satellites into low Earth orbit over the incoming decade in consecrate to provide low-latency broadband net coverage to the surface below. The plan is to help rural communities and another areas where it's difficult to put up infrastructure for traditional internet services. It's a similar concept to that of Starlink, SpaceX's system internet satellite constellation, which proposes sending well-nigh 12,000 into low field just about Earth. But unlike Kuiper, Spacex has actually launched more than 1,700 of its satellites and even created a exploratory program for hundreds of users. Gerard Peter Kuiper has thus far to launch any satellites.

Now, the Amazon subsidiary seems near ripe to have started. Last calendar week, the accompany showed off testing of the thrusters the satellites wish use to maneuver through space. And Kuiper claims that these first prototypes bequeath allow the company to test verboten the Saame "communication and networking technology" that will personify included in the finalized satellites. The two prototypes leave operate at 366 miles, or 590 kilometers, above Earth. KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 bequeath house plenty of the same technology needed for the final exam configuration, including antennas, modems, and power and propulsion.

An infographic explaining how the examination leave work when the satellites are in space.

Image: Contrive Kuiper

While in space, the satellites will be used to essa out their ability to get in touch with four of Gerard Peter Kuiper's substance abuser terminals and a ground post in McCulloch, Texas, designed to send and receive broadband signals from the spacecraft. The entire test sequence is set to last just 10 proceedings equally each artificial satellite passes overhead.

"There is no substitute for along-electron orbit testing, and we expect to learn a lot apt the complexness and risk of operating in such a challenging surround," Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology for Fancy Kuiper, aforementioned in a argument. "We can't look to get started." Soh furthermost, Kuiper says IT has done some examination on the ground with its user terminals, claiming to get maximum throughput speeds of up to 400 Mbps. Starlink's beta program touts download speeds astir to 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps.

Gerard Kuiper's option to fly its front two prototypes on ABL's RS1 rocket is an unexpected one. In April, the company announced that information technology had purchased nine flights of the United Launch Alliance's workhorse Atlas V roquette ready to launch batches of Kuiper satellites. Meanwhile, ABL has as yet to in reality launching one of its rockets. The party says it's aiming to conduct its foremost test launch with the RS1 before the end of the year out of Alaska. Gerard Peter Kuiper says it's been "impressed by ABL's unique capabilities, fast development progress, and commitment to customers," according to a blog post published today. ABL's RS1 rocket bequeath have the potentiality to launch roughly 1.5 tons of payload to low Terra firma domain at approximately $12 million per fledge, which Kuiper claims is the "right capacity and cost-efficiency to support our mission profile." An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the smaller RS1 is more appropriate for the launch of ii satellites, while Kuiper plans to use the Atlas V rockets to deploy the full constellation.

Along with nowadays's news, Kuiper is also trying to assure the space community that the companion testament try out to mitigate any harmful effects of its satellites. Combined big critique of proposed mega-constellations like Kuiper and Starlink is that they will lead to a much much crowded environment in lowset Earth orbit, maximising the likeliness of in-space collisions and making it more difficult to launch satellites in the in store. Kuiper says it will hire its image satellites out of orbit when it's cooked testing them by plunging them into Earth's atmosphere, where they'll burn up.

Kuiper as wel says it's been "working with astronomers and others in the diligence to trim back the profile of Kuiper System satellites." Astronomers have raised concerns about the rise of satellite mega-constellations, as the influx of noctilucent satellites testament wind to more disruption of observations of the night sky. To serve break the luminousness of its satellites, Kuiper is including a sunshade on one of the deuce prototypes to lessen its ability to reflect light from the Sun. "We will collect data to compare reflectivity between the two spacecraft and share any learnings with the astronomy community following the mission," Kuiper wrote in its blog post. SpaceX has also launched more 1,000 of its satellites with sunshades, operating theatre visors, to dampen their cleverness.

This latest announcement from Kuiper comes a week after the party announced a partnership with Verizon to expand the aircraft carrier's 4G / LTE and 5G coverage to more underserved areas. Such a deal relies on Gerard Kuiper introduction its satellites first.

Amazon's Project Kuiper hopes to launch first two prototype satellites in late 2022

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/1/22752469/amazon-project-kuiper-prototype-satellite-fcc-2022-abl-space-systems

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