Amazon secures 'largest ever' rocket order for satellite broadband venture

Date:
Tue, 05 Apr 2022 13:15:03 +0000

Description:
Amazon signs deals with three different rocket companies.

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Amazon has signed contracts for what it says is the largest commercial procurement of rockets in history to support the launch of its $10 billion Project Kuiper satellite broadband network .

The retail and technology giant has reached agreements with European firm Arianespace, United Launch Alliance, and Blue Origin (which is backed by Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos) to launch 83 rockets over a five-year period.

The launches will provide the heavy lift for a low-earth orbit (LEO)
satellite constellation comprising 3,236 satellites that will compete with
the likes of Elon Musks Starlink and the UK-government backed OneWeb. Project Kuiper

Project Kuiper plans to deliver affordable, high performance and low latency broadband to consumers, businesses, mobile operators, disaster relief efforts and other organizations in parts of the planet without a reliable connection.

By partnering with multiple rocket companies, Amazon hopes to reduce the
risks and cost associated with the project.

Securing launch capacity from multiple providers has been a key part of our strategy from day one, said Rajeev Badyal, Vice President of Technology for Project Kuiper at Amazon. This approach reduces risk associated with launch vehicle stand-downs and supports competitive long-term pricing for Amazon, producing cost savings that we can pass on to our customers. Read more

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These large, heavy-lift rockets also mean we can deploy more of our constellation with fewer launches, helping simplify our launch and deployment schedule. Were excited to move one step closer to connecting residential, business, and government customers around the world.

Amazon has more than 1,000 staff working on Project Kuiper, with the company ready to use its global footprint, Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud infrastructure, and its experience building low-cost devices to get the initiative off the ground.

It is still finalizing its satellite design, customer terminals, and its
plans to support the network with reliable ground communications but there
are already plans for two prototype missions later this year.

Project Kuiper will provide fast, affordable broadband to tens of millions of customers in unserved and underserved communities around the world, said Dave Limp, Senior Vice President for Amazon Devices & Services. We still have lots of work ahead, but the team has continued to hit milestone after milestone across every aspect of our satellite system. These launch agreements reflect our incredible commitment and belief in Project Kuiper, and were proud to be working with such an impressive lineup of partners to deliver on our mission.

Satellite broadband might still be some time off so if you're struggling
with your fixed connection, perhaps a mobile Wi-Fi deal could help?



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/amazon-secures-largest-ever-rocket-order-for-sa tellite-broadband-venture/


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