Amazon has given a boost to its satellite internet project for all by signing agreements with launch specialists to put its 3,236 satellites into orbit. The Ariane 6 rocket will be one of the spearheads of the Kuiper project.
Elon Musk isn’t the only one with his head in the stars to connect the whole Earth. Also Jeff Bezos. And if the billionaire is officially no longer at the head of Amazon to devote himself to other adventures, he continues to keep an eye on his projects and to be linked to them more or less from afar.
Among his whims for several years, the conquest of space is at the forefront. Certainly, like Musk, she takes several aspects from sending rockets into space to being able to conquer the skies to better control the ground. And that, thanks to the internet and a new generation connection network: the constellation of satellites.
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Amazon calls on Arianespace… and Bezos
With Starlink, the whimsical boss of Tesla has paved the way and orbits his satellites in low orbit to offer an internet connection everywhere. Bezos wanted his internet service and set up the Kuiper project a long time ago. This Tuesday, Amazon gave the project a boost by announcing the signing of agreements with three industry giants to ensure up to 83 launches over five years.
have been selected Arianespacethe French company behind the launches of the Ariane rocket, United Launch Alliancedesigner and manager of the Atlas, Delta and future Vulcan launchers, as well as Blue Origin, the American aerospace company of… Jeff Bezos. These three companies will be responsible for providing heavy-lift launch services, sending satellites into space toincrease global access to reliable and affordable broadband (in) uncovered and poorly covered regions of the world”.
Arianespace recently shone by putting the James Webb Space Telescope into orbit at the end of 2021. As part of the European Space Agency program, the European operator will deploy the launch of a new generation rocket at the end of 2022. Amazon has ordered 18 Ariane 6 rockets to put its satellites into orbit. On the American side, Amazon also calls on ULA for 38 launches provided by its brand new Vulcan Centaur system, but also for production infrastructure. Finally, space technology provider Beyond Gravity will be responsible for the low-cost and scalable delivery systems to deploy the constellation.
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It is obviously not totally incongruous to finally find Blue Origin in the Kuiper project, not only because of the close ties with Amazon, but also for the feats achieved by the company which notably offers new, less expensive rocket engines. It has notably developed New Shepard, a reusable single-stage rocket for space tourism which made its first manned flight in July 2021, with Bezos on board.
As part of the Kuiper project, Blue Origin will have to carry out 12 launches with New Glenn, its heavy launcher reusable up to 25 times, with options for 15 additional launches from the Cape Canaveral launch pad (Florida).
Star Wars with Starlink
After the train of Starlink satellites, will we see the Kuiper train? Highly possible. Because Amazon simply plans to launch up to 3236 satellites placed in low earth orbit to cover all areas of the Earth in the long term, whether for individuals, hospitals in remote areas, rescue teams or businesses and organizations. . “This is the largest commercial launcher acquisition in history“, proclaims the Seattle firm at the announcement of the signing of the agreements.
It must be said that by joining forces with Arianespace, ULA and Blue Origin to ensure a multiplicity and continuity of launches, Amazon is adding the experience of successful launches around the world to its satellite system sent into space and to its technology. internally developed small customer terminals promised at very affordable prices. These will use Ka band, a range of satellite frequencies with large bandwidth and smaller wavelength for better performance (maximum data rate up to 400 Mbps).
The receiving terminal for the Kuiper satellite connection project // Source: Amazon
The antenna terminal of the Kuiper project // Source: Amazon
Project Kuiper will obviously rely on Amazon’s logistics and operational network as well as the network and infrastructure of Amazon Web Services. Echo and Kindle connected devices could also be part of the operation, or at least products with identical know-how, without our really knowing their role yet.
To strengthen its partnerships, Amazon is obviously advancing the creation of jobs in the United States, where suppliers from 49 American states will see their activity develop, as well as in Europe with the 13 countries involved behind Ariane 6. The Kuiper Project plans two prototype missions during the year. The KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 satellites have obtained the approval of the FCC in the United States to be deployed in order to start the first connection tests.
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