Amazon’s inaugural launch of its Project Kuiper internet satellites on April 9 turned out to be nothing of the sort when poor weather conditions prompted the mission team to postpone liftoff.
Up until Thursday, we’d heard nothing from Amazon and United Launch Alliance (ULA) — the operator of the Atlas V rocket carrying the satellites to orbit — about a new target launch date. But on Friday, they finally revealed a schedule.
“Kuiper 1, the launch of a ULA Atlas V 551 rocket carrying the first production satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper, is now planned for April 28,” ULA said in a post on social media.
It continued: “The launch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at the opening of a two-hour window, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida,” adding: “This launch begins a new chapter in the commercial launch industry as Amazon partners with ULA to deliver the first batch of their advanced satellites to low-Earth orbit (LEO).”
With Project Kuiper, one of Amazon’s goals is to take on SpaceX’s Starlink internet service, which started in 2019 and now provides broadband connectivity to individuals and businesses via a growing constellation of small satellites.
Amazon’s April 28 mission will deploy 27 Project Kuiper satellites to orbit — the maximum number of Kuiper satellites that ULA’s Atlas V rocket can carry in a single deployment.
For subsequent missions, Amazon will also use ULA’s newer Vulcan rocket, which can carry as many as 45 Kuiper satellites in one flight, as well as the New Glenn, a new heavy-lift rocket operated by Blue Origin.
Amazon is planning to build a constellation of around 3,200 Project Kuiper satellites by 2029. This will be enough to offer global broadband coverage, giving it a chance to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service.
In a letter to shareholders in 2023, Amazon chief Andy Jassy said that Kuiper is our low-Earth orbit “aims to provide broadband connectivity to the 400-500 million households who don’t have it today (as well as governments and enterprises seeking better connectivity and performance in more remote areas),” describing it as “a very large revenue opportunity for Amazon.”
If you’re interested to watch the the inaugural launch toward the end of April, Digital Trends has everything you need to know.