Amazon to Take Down 2 Test Satellites Following Succesful Mission, Gears Up to Launch 3000 More Soon
- by techtimes
- May 23, 2024
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Published May 23, 2024 1:27PM EDT
Share on Facebook After a successful test mission, Amazon is set to deorbit two prototype satellites, KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2.
Amazon's ambitious Project Kuiper, greenlighted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2020, aims to deploy a constellation of over 3,000 satellites to provide global broadband internet coverage.
(Photo : Image via Amazon)
Amazon successfully tested and will deorbit two prototype satellites, gearing up to launch 3,000 more for global broadband under Project Kuiper, aiming for universal internet access.
Amazon Reports 100% Successful Test Mission
The two prototype satellites were launched in October 2023 aboard an Atlas 5 rocket from United Launch Alliance, a collaboration between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Over the past several months, these satellites have undergone extensive testing in low Earth orbit. Amazon reported a "100% success rate across our key mission objectives, with every major system and subsystem on board performing nominally or better on orbit."
Following the successful completion of their mission, KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 will now be deorbited. This process involves gradually lowering their orbital altitude from approximately 475 kilometers (295 miles) to 217 kilometers (135 miles).
Over the next few months, the satellites will use their onboard propulsion systems to execute controlled maneuvers. Combined with the natural drag from Earth's atmosphere, these maneuvers will eventually cause the satellites to burn up upon reentry.
This deorbiting strategy is part of Amazon's broader commitment to space safety and sustainability. By ensuring that satellites are deorbited within a year of their mission ending, Amazon aims to address the growing concern over space debris.
According to data from NASA, only 9,000 of the 16,990 satellites put into orbit since 1957 remain operational. This leaves a massive graveyard of floating space debris in low Earth orbit (LEO).
The data collected from this final phase of Kuiper's Protoflight mission will be invaluable in refining the deorbit process for future satellites.
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