Amazon has completed its long-delayed first satellite launch for Project Kuiper, the company’s planned orbital internet network.
A pair of test satellites aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, shortly after 2 p.m. ET on Friday, as shown by Starting material posted by ULA on X (formerly Twitter). If all goes well, the satellites will be stationed at an altitude of 311 miles above the ground and remain in low Earth orbit for testing.
The two satellites are prototypes of over 3,200 plans to be built and deployed over the next six years.
Project Kuiper is Amazon’s plan to build a new service category to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet from SpaceX, which already has thousands of satellites in orbit providing internet to over a million customers in multiple countries. Amazon CEO Andy Jassey said the Kuiper satellite service will be a core part of the business going forward.
While original plan set last October, Kuiper’s first launch was supposed to be on ULA’s newest Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle, which uses engines from Blue Origin (a company led by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos), but instead it was mounted on an Atlas V rocket. ULA’s next launch will be the first with the Vulcan rocket.
When can you use Amazon’s Internet service?
Amazon aims to begin launching its operational satellites in the first half of next year. Beta testing for commercial customers is planned for around, as Cord Cutters News reported earlier Friday.
The goal is to be available to consumers, government, healthcare, businesses and various organizations to enable them to receive affordable broadband services where access to fast, reliable internet does not yet exist.
Amazon says Project Kuiper terminals, like regular customers, can be quickly deployed to add internet infrastructure in the event of natural disasters or other emergencies.
How to get Amazon internet service
So far, Amazon has partnered with Amazon to expand its 4G and 5G networks. So if you live in these regions, you will be able to access Amazon satellite internet through these providers once launched. Vodafone and Vodacom will install Project Kuiper infrastructure alongside their cell towers.
As we get closer to the launch of the beta service, more information will be available on how to sign up for it in other parts of the world.