Amazon announced that it has signed the largest deal in the history of the commercial space industry. This is thanks to its contracts with three companies for up to 83 launches of its Project Kuiper satellites, which will seek to provide internet connectivity worldwide.
According to CNBC, the technology giant founded by Jeff Bezos signed several agreements with launch companies: 38 with United Launch Alliance (ULA), 18 with Arianespace, and 12 with Blue Origin (also owned by Bezos) with the option to add up to 15 additional launches.
Kuiper is the project through which Amazon intends to build a network of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). These will provide high-speed internet on a global scale. In this way, Bezos’ company will compete with SpaceX’s Starlink project – owned by rival Elon Musk, with whom it has taken turns on several occasions to compete for the title of richest person in the world. To build the system, Amazon said it will «invest more than $10 billion».
Kuiper will begin testing this year with a launch aboard ABL Space’s RS1 rocket. If the tests are successful, the deployment of operational satellites will begin. According to FCC regulations, the company must have half of its satellites operational within six years (from project approval in July 2020).
The launches will be carried out by ULA’s Vulcan rocket -which will make its first flight this year- and Atlas V. According to Tory Bruno, CEO of ULA, each Vulcan will put 45 Kuiper satellites into orbit. Arianespace, for its part, will fly its missions on the future Ariane 6, which will also make its first flight towards the end of this year. Finally, Blue Origin will use its New Glenn rockets, which still have no official launch date.
SpaceX? I don’t know her.
Notably absent from these contracts is the company with the highest launch cadence in the world, SpaceX. This is despite the fact that Elon Musk – SpaceX’s owner – has repeatedly noted that he has «no problem with launching satellites from competitors.»
SpaceX has a considerable lead over Amazon in the satellite internet race. The company has so far launched about 2,000 Starlink satellites and has about 250,000 users.
While Amazon has not yet disclosed much information about the Kuiper satellites, such as their mass or transmit power, Dave Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services, said, «Our satellites are larger than other similar constellations, so we need new launch vehicles to make them economical to deploy.»
