Oct 06, 2023 17:00:00

Amazon's satellite internet communication 'Project Kuiper' will launch a prototype satellite on October 6, 2023

Amazon has announced that it will launch a test vehicle to build the satellite internet communication ``Project Kuiper'' on October 6, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. local time, and at 3:00 a.m. on the 7th, Japan time.

Inside the first satellite test mission for Amazon's Project Kuiper
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/innovation-at-amazon/project-kuiper-prototype-satellite-test-mission

Amazon's Project Kuiper is a project that aims to place 3,236 artificial satellites in triple low earth orbit (LEO) and provide satellite broadband communications covering 95% of all humanity. Amazon previously announced plans to launch up to 83 rockets in 2022 with aerospace companies United Launch Alliance (ULA), Ariane Group, and Blue Origin, as well as plans to launch up to 83 rockets in July 2023 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. We have constructed a dedicated facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Washington, D.C., and have been preparing for launch.

Amazon is building a dedicated processing facility for satellite communications 'Project Kuiper' in Cape Canaveral at a cost of about 17 billion yen - GIGAZINE

The launch on October 6th is considered a protoflight, that is, a test using the same equipment as the actual aircraft, and is a precursor to the 3,236 artificial satellites that will be launched over six years. KuiperSat-2' two prototype satellites will be launched on ULA's Atlas V rocket.

Amazon has released the first images of its Project Kuiper prototype satellites: KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 . . . inside their shipping containers. pic.twitter.com/oroSgOiVEv
— Steven Young (@stevenyoungsfn) October 3, 2023

Rajeev Badial, Project Kuiper's vice president of technology, said: 'We have done extensive testing in the lab and have high confidence in the satellite design, but we are not confident in the in-orbit testing. There's no replacement. This is Amazon's first time launching a satellite into space, and no matter how this mission plays out, we're going to learn an incredible amount. ” he said.

The launch countdown will begin at 11:00 a.m. local time on the 6th (0:00 a.m. on the 7th Japan time). According to ULA, there is an 80% chance of acceptable weather.

Launch Weather Officer Melody Lovin from the @SLDelta45 meteorology team predicts an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions for Friday's #AtlasV launch of the #Amazon #ProjectKuiper #Protoflight . Launch window opens at 2pmEDT (1800 UTC).
Full details: https://t.co/sau6KFp9Ly pic.twitter.com/Gqpb5HeOkp
— ULA (@ulalaunch) October 3, 2023