United Launch Alliance, or ULA for short, announced that Amazon’s first satellite launch was successful. The aerospace manufacturer’s Atlas V rocket carried the first two Project Kuiper satellites into low Earth orbit last night. The mission, called Protoflight, took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 21:06 ET.Amazon took the first step in Starlink competition
Amazon has been working on Project Kuiper, a Starlink-like internet satellite initiative, for a while. The company plans to collect very important data with the mission called Protoflight. Amazon has already conducted tests in laboratory environments, but now, by launching two prototype satellites into orbit, data exchange and other tests will be carried out in real-world conditions. This is also a test of satellite processing, launch and mission operations. Once Amazon reaches the respective targets, it will de-orbit both satellites and the satellites will be destroyed in the atmosphere.
Amazon says the goal of Project Kuiper is to deliver fast and affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world. After receiving FCC approval, the company plans to deploy more than 3,200 satellites over the next six years, and the KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 prototypes are the first steps towards this goal. Amazon aims to launch its first full satellites in the first half of 2024 and begin beta testing with customers in the second half of the year.
You can follow the entire process in the launch stream below. The launch process starts around 26:05.
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