{"id":35925,"date":"2023-10-06T07:57:56","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T06:57:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=35925"},"modified":"2023-10-06T08:00:01","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T07:00:01","slug":"amazon-launching-first-2-project-kuiper-leo-broadband-satellites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2023\/10\/amazon-launching-first-2-project-kuiper-leo-broadband-satellites.html","title":{"rendered":"Amazon Launching First 2 Project Kuiper LEO Broadband Satellites"},"content":{"rendered":"

Internet giant Amazon<\/a> will today launch their first two prototype satellites \u2013 Kuipersat-1<\/strong> and Kuipersat-2<\/strong> \u2013 into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) as part of plans to test the technologies that will be used in Project Kuiper, which aims to loft a mega constellation of satellites to deliver ultrafast broadband and 4G<\/a>\/5G<\/a> mobile across the world.<\/p>\n

At present Amazon<\/a> is still running a long way behind rivals such as OneWeb<\/a> and Starlink<\/a> (SpaceX). Nevertheless, the company currently has approval to deploy and operate their own constellation of 3,236 LEO<\/strong> satellites as part of Project Kuiper<\/strong>, which will sit at an altitude of between 590km and 630km. The system can process up to 1Tbps (Terabits per second) of data traffic on board each satellite<\/a>, but that must be shared between many users.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> Project Kuiper\u2019s LEOs will communicate with ground stations using the 17.8-18.6GHz and 28.6-29.1GHz bands (more details<\/a>).<\/div>\n

Each LEO is fairly small, but they make up for that in quantity, and this approach typically delivers lots of data capacity (100-400Mbps broadband speeds), as well as relatively fast latency times (often c.20-40ms) \u2013 provided it\u2019s all matched by plenty of Ground Stations and regulatory approvals in supporting countries.<\/p>\n

The new network, much like other LEO constellations, also plans to cater for mobile (4G<\/a> and 5G<\/a>) connections. For example, Vodafone<\/a> and Vodacom have already announced their intention to use Project Kuiper\u2019s network to bring the benefits of 4G<\/a>\/5G<\/a> connectivity to \u201careas that may otherwise be challenging and prohibitively expensive to serve via traditional fibre or microwave solutions<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Project Kuiper’s Test Satellites<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The two prototype satellites were originally due to be launched during early 2023, but the rockets Amazon<\/a> picked to use have all experienced delays. Project Kuiper has so far secured 77 heavy-lift launches from Arianespace, Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance (ULA), and they have options for additional launches with Blue Origin.<\/p>\n

\"Amazon-Project-Kuiper-Terminal-Dish\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve done extensive testing here in our lab and have a high degree of confidence in our satellite<\/a> design, but there\u2019s no substitute for on-orbit testing<\/em>,\u201d said Rajeev Badyal, Project Kuiper\u2019s vice president of technology. \u201cThis is Amazon\u2019s first time putting satellites into space, and we\u2019re going to learn an incredible amount regardless of how the mission unfolds<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amazon’s Testing Plan<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Kuiper System includes three key elements: advanced LEO broadband satellites; small, affordable customer terminals; and a secure, resilient ground-based communications network. The Protoflight mission will test all three parts, along with the teams and systems that manage them.<\/p>\n

To start, our satellites will travel to space on an Atlas V<\/strong> rocket from United Launch Alliance<\/strong> (ULA) where ULA will deploy them at an altitude of 311 miles (500 kilometers). From that point, we\u2019ll begin testing various systems and subsystems on board. For example, we\u2019ll use telemetry, tracking, and communications (TT&C) stations to establish first contact with the satellites; deploy solar arrays to generate power; and confirm onboard electronics are operating nominally within acceptable power and temperature ranges.<\/p>\n

On the ground, we will test our advanced networking hardware and software to refine how they support the flow of data through the Kuiper System and AWS. Gateway antennas positioned around the world will track and communicate with the satellites and also connect the Kuiper System to the internet. As the mission progresses, we will test the network from end to end, sending data back and forth between the internet, our ground gateways, the satellites, and our customer terminals.<\/p>\n

At the end of the mission, we plan to actively deorbit both satellites before they ultimately burn up in the Earth\u2019s atmosphere\u2014part of our commitment to space safety.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 501 rocket is due to liftoff today from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The launch window opens at 2:00 PM ET (7PM UK Time) and concludes at 4:00 PM ET (9PM UK Time).<\/p>\n

Assuming all goes to plan, then the first production satellites are currently on track for launch in the first half of 2024, and Amazon expects to be in beta testing with early commercial customers by the end of 2024. After that it will take the operator another 6 years to fully manufacture and launch their planned constellation, which takes us to around mid to late 2029.<\/p>\n