Amazon teams up with rival Musk’s SpaceX to launch Kuiper satellites
United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket is ready to be released on October 5, 2023 at the Cape Monster Space Force Station on 5 October 2023, carrying Amazon’s Project Kuiper Broadband Internet constellation.
Paul Hennessey | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Like Amazon SpaceX rely on Elon Musk’s competitor in the internet satellite market, e-commerce and information process giant, to put the next group of device into space.
On Wednesday, 24 Kuiper satellites allowed for weather conditions, Florida’s Space Coast’s launch ramp will ride one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets. For the task called “KF-01”, a 27-minute launch window opens at 2: 18.
Will be launching live The social media platform of Musk in X.
The task points to an unusual alliance. SpaceX’s Starlink is currently a dominant provider of the Low Earth orbit Satellite Internet with approximately 8,000 satellite constellations and approximately 5 million customers worldwide.
Amazon launched Project Kuiper in 2019 to provide a wide band internet from more than 3,000 satellite constellations. The company works under a strict deadline imposed by the Federal Communication Commission, which requires it to buy approximately 1,600 satellites in orbit until the end of July 2026.
Amazon’s first two Kuiper launch arrived in April and June and sent 27 satellites to Rockets, which was provided by United Launch Alliance.
Assuming that the launch of Wednesday is successful, Amazon will have a total of 78 satellites in orbit. In order to meet the strict date of the FCC, Amazon needs to quickly produce and distribute satellites and provide a heavy capacity from rocket providers. Kuiper launched up to 83, including three driving with SpaceX.
It appeared as a battlefield between Musk and Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, two of the richest men in the world. In addition to Kuiper, Bezos compete with Musk through the rocket company Blue Origin.
In January, Blue Origin sent the Great New Glenn Rocket, which aims to compete with SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rockets. While Blue Origin is currently watching SpaceX, Bezos estimated that the last attempt last year would be greater than Amazon, whom he started in 1994.
Kuiper became one of Amazon’s biggest bets and received more than $ 10 billion for the project. The company may need to spend $ 23 billion to create the full starger, and analysts in Bank of America wrote a note to customers last week. This figure does not include the cost of the terminals that consumers will use to connect to service.
Analysts estimated that Amazon spent $ 150 million per launch this year, while satellite production costs are estimated to be estimated to a total of $ 1.1 billion in the fourth quarter.
Analysts wrote that Amazon pursued a market that is expected to increase to at least $ 40 billion by 2030. Boston Consulting Group. The company estimated that if Amazon demanded 30% of the market, it could produce $ 7.1 billion from Kuiper until 2032.
“With Starlink’s solid early growth, our estimates can be conservative.”
WRISTWATCH: Amazon started the first kuiper internet satellites into space
