Amazon Project Kuiper: Everything you need to know about Amazon’s satellite internet service
- by Tom's Guide
- Oct 18, 2024
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Project Kuiper: Fast, Affordable Broadband for Unserved & Underserved Communities | Amazon News - YouTube
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Amazon first began research and development on Project Kuiper in 2018. Then, in 2020, the U.S. Federal Communications commission (FCC) granted the company a license to begin deploying and operating its own satellites.
(Image credit: Amazon)
Project Kuiper is based out of a state-of-the-art facility in Redmond, Washington where satellites, ground terminals, computer chips and other hardware needed for the project are developed. More than 1,000 engineers, programmers and support personnel are currently working on the project both in Redmond as well as at Amazon’s labs in New York City, Austin, Denver, San Diego and Washington DC.
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In fact, to help kickstart the process of getting satellites in the sky, the company announced in a blog post that it's going to build a new satellite processing facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It's set to be completed this year year and be fully operational in 2025.
There are three main parts to Project Kuiper: ground infrastructure, satellites and customer terminals. Amazon’s ground infrastructure consists of gateway antennas which securely send and receive customer data to and from the satellites. Telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C) antennas ensure that the satellites are operating properly, too.
(Image credit: Amazon)
Project Kuiper’s satellites operate in low Earth orbit (LEO) and relay data between the gateway antennas and customers. Customer terminals, or satellite dish antennas, are what Amazon’s customers will eventually use to receive broadband service. These terminals combine antennas and processors into a single, compact system which will hopefully make them more affordable and easier to ship out to customers.
(Image credit: Amazon)
One of the things that sets the satellites used in Project Kuiper apart is that each one will also feature an active propulsion system. This way, Amazon has the "ability to control each satellite throughout every phase of its mission" according to a blog post from the company.
Once complete, Project Kuiper’s initial satellite constellation will feature 3,236 satellites in low earth orbit. Two prototype satellites were launched in 2023, and Amazon also began manufacturing its production satellites this year.
(Image credit: Amazon)
In April of last year, Amazon finalized launch contracts with three different launch providers, including Arianespace, Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance. There are a total of 83 launches planned over the next decade. Based on its license with the FCC though, Amazon will be required to deploy and operate at least half of its 3,236 satellites by July 2026.
Project Kuiper: Cost and expected availability
Although Amazon has yet to announce Project Kuiper pricing details, the company explains in an FAQ that it plans to make the service as affordable as possible. In fact, the company is applying a similar approach to Project Kuiper as it did in the past with its other low-cost devices like the Echo Dot or Fire TV Stick. Amazon also notes that its “service offerings may vary from country to country” in order to find “the right pricing and service for customers in each region”.
As for availability, since Amazon expects that it will launch its first production satellites during the first half of next year, early customers could get access to the satellite internet service beginning in 2024.
Project Kuiper: Customer terminals
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