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Kuiper Systems

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"Project Kuiper" redirects here. For other projects named Kuiper, see Kuiper (disambiguation).

Kuiper Systems LLC
Company typeSatellite internet provider
FoundedApril 2019; 5 years ago (2019-04)
FounderJeff Bezos
HeadquartersRedmond, Washington, U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Rajeev Badyal (president)
Number of employees
1,400 (July 2023)[1]
ParentAmazon
WebsiteOfficial website

Kuiper Systems LLC, also known as Project Kuiper, is a subsidiary of Amazon that was established in 2019 to deploy a large satellite internet constellation to provide low-latency broadband connectivity.[2][3] The name Kuiper was a company codename for the project inspired by the Kuiper belt.

The Federal Communications Commission granted Amazon approval to deploy a constellation of 3,236 satellites into low Earth orbit.[4] Deployment is planned in five phases, and internet service will begin once the first 578 satellites are launched. Under its granted FCC license, Amazon is required to launch and operate 50% of its satellites no later than July 30, 2026, and must launch and operate the remaining satellites no later than July 30, 2029.[5] Two initial prototype satellites, “KuiperSat-1” and “KuiperSat-2” launched on October 6, 2023 on an Atlas V rocket operated by United Launch Alliance from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.[6][7]

Amazon has purchased 92 rocket launches with United Launch Alliance, ArianeGroup and Blue Origin[8] for a total of over US$10 billion. In 2024, additional launches were purchased from SpaceX which operates the competing Starlink satellite internet constellation.[9]

History

[edit]

In April 2019, Amazon announced that they would fund and deploy a large broadband satellite internet constellation called Project Kuiper.[2][3] It is expected to take up to a decade to fully deploy all 3,236 satellites planned for the full constellation in order to provide internet to "tens of millions of people who lack basic access to broadband internet".[2] Amazon has not announced if they intend to sell broadband service directly to consumers, but they will "offer broadband service through partnerships with other companies".[10] The president of Kuiper Systems, Rajeev Badyal, was a former vice president of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet constellation before being fired by Elon Musk in 2018. Badyal started Kuiper along with other ex-SpaceX employees soon after.[10][11]

In December 2019, information became public that Amazon was asking the FCC to waive requirements (eg. to have applied by 2016) that SpaceX and OneWeb had to follow in order to get their large satellite internet constellations licensed.[12]

In July 2020, Amazon announced that it would be investing more than US$10 billion in Project Kuiper,[13] post receiving an authorization from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a Project Kuiper constellation of 3,236 satellites, to provide broadband internet access across the globe. A condition included in the FCC's authorization was a non-interference clause that required the satellites to not interfere with previously authorized satellite ventures.[14]

In December 2020, Amazon unveiled a high-level overview of the low-cost flat-panel antenna that it plans to use for the Project Kuiper satellite constellation. It is a Ka-band phased-array antenna that is much smaller than traditional designs for antennas that operate at 17–30 GHz. The antenna will be ~30 cm (12 in) in width and is expected to support up to 400 megabits per second of data bandwidth at less than 20% of the cost of traditional state-of-the-art flat-panel antennas.[15] Amazon also announced that they intend to be "launch agnostic" and would not plan to exclusively use launch capacity from Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company, but rather were open to launch capability offers from all providers.[15]

In April 2021, Amazon announced that it had contracted with ULA for nine launches of Kuiper satellites on Atlas V launch vehicles from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, and noted that it will "continue to explore all options" for launching the remainder of the satellites.[16][17]

In April 2022, Amazon announced a massive set of launch contracts with three launch providers for a total of 83 launches over the next decade.[18] The agreements foresee the launch of a full constellation at buildout of 3236 satellites, and include 18 launches of the European Ariane 6, 12 launches of Blue Origin's New Glenn (with options on 15 additional flights), and 38 launches on the Vulcan launch vehicle from United Launch Alliance. [8] Amazon previously announced that it had purchased the final nine Atlas V rocket launches from United Launch Alliance before that vehicle, which is powered by Russian engines, is retired.[8]

In August 2023, a lawsuit was filed by an Amazon shareholder, Cleveland Bakers and Teamsters Pension Fund, against the company claiming the Amazon board of directors acted in bad faith when procuring the approximately $10 billion in launch contracts for the constellation, which amounted to Amazon's second largest capital expenditure to date.[19][20] Contracts to Blue Origin, owned by Bezos, amounted to 45% of the total expenditure. The suit suggests that animosity between Bezos and SpaceX founder Elon Musk may have precluded Amazon from contracting SpaceX's Falcon 9 vehicle, which is flight proven and potentially more cost effective.[19]

After launch of its two prototype satellites, it was reported that they were operating nominally.[21]

Post prototype launch

[edit]

In December 2023, it was announced that Amazon had secured three Kuiper launches aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9.[9]

The Vulcan Centaur rocket launched for the first time on January 8, 2024,[22] clearing the way for the future ordered launches of Kuiper Systems satellites. Vulcan will launch 38 times for Kuiper.

The central core for the inaugural Ariane 6 flight vehicle was moved upright on the launch pad on 24 April 2024 after which the flight was conducted on 9 July 2024.[23] Ariane 6 is responsible for 18 Kuiper launches.

In May 2024, ULA announced it was contracting for a second vessel that would be able to transport the Vulcan launch vehicle from its manufacturing facility in Alabama to the spaceport in Florida, a ramp up in preparation for Kuiper launches.[24]

In June 2024, the company announced a partnership with DirectTV Latin America, the partnership will aim to close the digital divide in multiple countries in South America.[25]

Technology

[edit]

Satellite constellation

[edit]

Kuiper currently has 2 test satellites on orbit.

Project Kuiper System is planned to consist of 3,236 satellites operating in 98 orbital planes in three orbital shells, one each at 590 km (370 mi), 610 km (380 mi), and 630 km (390 mi) orbital altitude.[26] The satellites are equipped with Hall-effect thruster technology.[27] Phase 1 of deployment will be 578 satellites at 630 km altitude and an orbital inclination of 51.9 degrees. A total of five phases of constellation development are planned.[17]

Kuiper is planned to work in concert with Amazon's previously announced large network of 12 satellite ground station facilities (the "AWS Ground Station unit") announced in November 2018.[28] In addition to connecting to ground stations to connect to the ground-based internet, satellites will interconnect via optical infrared laser connections. Amazon refers to this technology as OISL (optical inter-satellite link). These lasers are capable of maintaining 100 Gbps over distances up to 2,600 km among two satellites moving at 25,000 km/h. Current in-space tests have demonstrated this speed up to a distance of 1,000km. [29][30]

Also, Kuiper satellites are likely to be compatible with and interconnect via optical links to Space Development Agency satellites.[31]

User terminals

[edit]

Multiple customer terminal designs are planned for different market needs. Project Kuiper’s standard customer terminal is expected to measure less than 11 inches square and 1 inch thick, and weigh less than five pounds without its mounting bracket. The device is planned to deliver speeds up to 400 megabits per second (Mbps). Amazon expects to produce these terminals for less than $400 each.[32]

An ultra-compact design 7-inch square customer terminal weighing one pound will offer speeds up to 100 Mbps. This design will connect residential customers for lower-costs, as well as government and enterprise customers pursuing applications like ground mobility and internet of things.[32]

A high-bandwidth design 19 inches by 30 inches terminal will deliver speeds up to 1 gigabit per second.[32]

Facilities

[edit]

Organizational headquarters for Kuiper Systems are located at an Amazon R&D facility in Redmond, Washington since 2020.[33] Development of satellite prototypes and production methods were initially performed at the Redmond site. Manufacturing and satellite production is located at 172,000-square-foot facility in nearby Kirkland, Washington.[34] The factory in Kirkland opened in April 2024 and is planned to manufacture five satellites per day at peak capacity. A logistics center in Everett, Washington, is expected to open in June 2024 to supply the Kirkland factory with kits assembled from raw materials.[35]

A satellite processing and integration facility is planned in Florida at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to integrate spacecraft for launch aboard Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance rockets from the spaceport. The 31,000-square-meter facility is not expected to be operational before early 2025, and Amazon will use a third-party payload processing facility until its own is fully commissioned.[1]

Launches

[edit]
Date

Time (UTC)

Rocket type Payload Orbit Launch Site Launch
status
October 6, 2023 18:06 Atlas V KuiperSat-1 and 2, prototypes LEO SLC-41 Success
2025[36] Atlas V First commercial Kuiper satellites LEO SLC-41 Planned

Test satellites

[edit]

The first two prototype satellites "KuiperSat P1" (2023-154B) and "KuiperSat P2" (2023-154A) were launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on October 6, 2023.[37][38]

Previously, Amazon had planned its initial ride to space on launch vehicles that were also still in development, including ABL Space Systems on their RS1 rocket that was expected by late 2022[8][39] as well as on ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket by mid-2023.[40] Both rockets in development experienced their own testing failures that delayed their launch readiness. By August 2023 Amazon selected the flight proven Atlas V rocket to reach orbit in a more timely fashion.

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Rainbow, Jason (21 July 2023). "Amazon picks Kennedy Space Center for Project Kuiper processing facility". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Sheetz, Michael (4 April 2019). "Amazon wants to launch thousands of satellites so it can offer broadband internet from space". CNBC. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b Henry, Caleb (4 April 2019). "Amazon planning 3,236-satellite constellation for internet connectivity". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  4. ^ In the Matter of Kuiper Systems LLC Application for Authority to Deploy and Operate a Ka-band Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit System (PDF). Federal Communications Commission (Report) (FCC 20-102 ed.). 29 July 2020. IBFS File No. SAT-LOA-20190704-00057. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  5. ^ Jewett, Rachel (9 February 2023). "FCC Approves Amazon Kuiper Orbital Debris Plan, Clearing Way for Deployment". Via Satellite. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  6. ^ Clark, Stephen (7 August 2023). "Amazon shifts launch of its first Internet satellites to Atlas V rocket". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 8 August 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Atlas V rocket launches Amazon's 1st 2 internet satellites to orbit (Video)". Space.com. 6 October 2023. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Berger, Eric (5 April 2022). "Jeff Bezos and Amazon just hired everybody but SpaceX for Project Kuiper". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Amazon secures 3 launches with SpaceX to support Project Kuiper deployment". US About Amazon. 1 December 2023. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  10. ^ a b Brodkin, Jon (8 July 2019). "Amazon plans nationwide broadband — with both home and mobile service". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2019. Kuiper is wholly owned by Amazon, and its president is Rajeev Badyal, a former SpaceX vice president who was reportedly fired because SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was unsatisfied with his company's satellite-broadband progress.
  11. ^ "Elon Musk Fires Multiple Starlink Executives". Reuters. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  12. ^ "SpaceX Is Lobbying Against Amazon's Internet-Beaming Satellites". Vice. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2019. Amazon is trying to get a waiver to FCC rules that companies like SpaceX and OneWeb had to follow.
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  17. ^ a b "Amazon contracts nine Atlas 5 missions for Kuiper broadband satellites". SpaceNews. 19 April 2021. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
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  19. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (31 August 2023). "Lawsuit claims Amazon's board erred in awarding Kuiper launch contracts to Blue Origin and others". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  20. ^ Berger, Eric (5 April 2022). "Jeff Bezos and Amazon just hired everybody but SpaceX for Project Kuiper". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  21. ^ "Amazon shares an update on how Project Kuiper's test satellites are performing". 16 October 2023. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  22. ^ Jeff Foust (8 January 2024). "Vulcan Centaur launches Peregrine lunar lander on inaugural mission". Spacenews. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  23. ^ "Ariane 6 standing tall". www.esa.int. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  24. ^ ULA. "ULA Signs Agreements with Bollinger Shipyards and Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. to Design and Build New Ship to Carry Vulcan Rockets". newsroom.ulalaunch.com. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  25. ^ "4 ways Project Kuiper can help bridge the digital divide in South America". www.aboutamazon.com. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  26. ^ Henry, Caleb (8 July 2019). "Amazon lays out constellation service goals, deployment and deorbit plans to FCC". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  27. ^ "Amazon's Project Kuiper demonstrates safe, controlled satellite maneuvering on orbit". www.aboutamazon.com. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  28. ^ Sheetz, Michael (27 November 2018). "Amazon cloud business reaches into space with satellite connection service". CNBC. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  29. ^ "Amazon's Project Kuiper completes successful tests of optical mesh network in low Earth orbit". US About Amazon. 14 December 2023. Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  30. ^ Thompson, Loren. "Amazon's Kuiper Orbital Internet System Will Include Important National Security Features". Forbes. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  31. ^ "Amazon to link Kuiper satellites to DoD's mesh network in space". 14 October 2022. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
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  33. ^ Henry, Caleb (18 December 2019). "Amazon moving Project Kuiper team to new R&D headquarters". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  34. ^ "Amazon expands satellite manufacturing at newly acquired Project Kuiper facility". US About Amazon. 27 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  35. ^ Rosenblatt, Lauren (14 May 2024). "Amazon's satellite internet network Project Kuiper plans new Everett facility". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  36. ^ Jeff Foust [@jeff_foust] (2 October 2024). "A couple notes from today's ULA Cert-2 briefing" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  37. ^ "Atlas 5 rocket launches Amazon's first Kuiper satellites from Cape Canaveral". Spaceflight Now. 6 October 2023. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  38. ^ Krebs, Gunter Dirk. "KuiperSat P1, P2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  39. ^ Sheetz, Michael (1 November 2022). "Amazon plans to launch its first internet satellites in late 2022". CNBC. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  40. ^ Jones, Caleb. "Vulcan VC2S | Peregrine lunar lander, Kuipersat-1 & 2 (Maiden flight)". Space Launch Now. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
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