JAKARTA - Amazon has just submitted a request to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch and operate its first two satellites in Q4 2022.
The satellites, dubbed KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2, will launch with ABL Space on its RS1 rocket.Oroject Kuiper is Amazon's plan to build a network of 3,236 satellites in low-Earth orbit to provide high-speed internet worldwide. Initial services from Kuiper will begin once Amazon has 578 satellites in orbit.
In this Kuiper project, Amazon is not alone. They partnered with Verizon to make high-speed satellite internet even more competitive. Of course, this does not escape the fierce competition.
Kuiper is poised to compete with SpaceX's Starlink network, which is the furthest broadband satellite system in the latest generation. Amazon itself is quite passionate about developing this satellite. They built a 219,000-square-foot facility in Redmond, Washington to test and manufacture satellites, and are even planning to add another 20,000-square-foot facility.
Prototype Satellite Becomes Company Milestone
The launch and testing of KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 a year from now is one of the next major milestones in the development of Amazon's systems. The pair of satellites are meant to test Amazon's communications and network infrastructure, connecting with the company's Earth stations based in Texas, South America, and Asia-Pacific.
“KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 will include many of the technologies and sub-systems that support production versions of our satellite designs, such as phased arrays and satellite dishes, power and propulsion systems, custom-designed modems, and more,” Amazon said in a blog. official as quoted from NBC News, Tuesday, November 2.
Amazon plans to test early customers' antennas at a location in McCulloch, Texas. The company describes the antenna as a low-cost subscriber terminal that will provide reliable service at a more affordable price than the old antenna. The satellite is expected to be connected to a Texas antenna for four minutes, up to five times per day.
However, the impact of networks with hundreds or thousands of satellites in the night sky has become a topic of concern for systems like Kuiper. Similar to the sun visor SpaceX added to the Starlink satellites to reduce brightness.
"One of the two Kuiper satellite prototypes will include a sunshade to help us understand whether it is an effective way to reduce reflectivity and thereby reduce its impact on ground-based optical telescopes," Amazon said.
"We will collect data to compare reflectivity between the two spacecraft, and share lessons learned with the astronomy community after the mission."
In addition, to combat the risk of additional space debris, Amazon emphasizes that the Kuiper prototype is designed to completely burn up in the atmosphere at the end of its life.
Launched on ABL Space rocket, RS1
The Jeff Bezos-owned retailer plans to send the satellite on a separate ABL launch, which will lift off from the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida. ABL continues to work towards the maiden launch of the RS1 rocket from Alaska later this year.
Amazon's mission adds to the assurances of the ABL contract, which the rocket maker says has 14 customers so far, "Amazon will play a central role in the next generation of space infrastructure, and we are proud to have been chosen as Kuiper's launch partner, especially for this critical early flight," said Amazon. ABL CEO Harry O'Hanley.
The deal with ABL is the second Amazon has signed with a satellite launch provider, after earlier this year contracting the United Launch Alliance for nine Kuiper launches.
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