Company attributes
Project Kuiper is a subsidiary of Amazon that plans to increase global broadband access by launching a constellation of 3,236 satellites into low earth orbit (LEO). The constellation of LEO satellites will be combined with compact customer terminals, a global network of ground stations, and AWS-powered communications infrastructure. The goal of Project Kuiper is to bring fast broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world. Amazon states the initiative will serve a range of customers, including consumers, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations currently operating in places without reliable connectivity.
Amazon began research and development on Project Kuiper in 2018. Kuiper Systems LLC was formed as a subsidiary of Amazon in 2019, although it is more commonly known by its project name (Project Kuiper). The subsidiary is named after the icy Kuiper Belt that extends from Neptune's orbit. While Amazon owns the rocket company Blue Origin, Project Kuiper is a separate operation falling under the devices and services division at Amazon. Reports state that Amazon is planning to invest upwards of $10 billion to build Project Kuiper. Satellites, ground terminals, and other hardware for Project Kuiper are developed at a facility in Redmond, Washington. The project has grown to hire more than 1,000 members of staff, including engineers, programmers, and support personnel. Project Kuiper staff are based in Redmond and other Amazon labs in New York City, Austin, Denver, San Diego, and Washington DC. In July 2023, the company announced plans to build a new satellite processing facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The new facility will cost roughly $120 million. Amazon has stated it will be fully operational in 2025.
In 2020, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted Project Kuiper a license to begin deploying and operating its own satellites. The agreement was conditioned on getting an updated orbital debris mitigation plan approved, which occurred in February 2023. The FCC approval states that Project Kuiper must launch 50% of the satellites by July 30, 2026 and launch the remaining satellites by July 20, 2029. In April 2022, Amazon finalized launch contracts with three different launch providers, including Arianespace, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance. Project Kuiper plans a total of eighty-three launches. On October 6, 2023, the first two prototype Project Kuiper satellites were launched into orbit on an Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance. The launch was referred to as the "protoflight." Amazon plans to launch the first production satellites in the first half of 2024 with access for early commercial customers in the second half of 2024.
Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite payload arriving at ULA’s integration facility before the protoflight mission.
Amazon has released little information about the size and design of the Project Kuiper satellites. Operating in LEO satellites will relay data between the gateway antennas (ground station) and customers. The satellites will have an active propulsion system such that Amazon has the ability to control each satellite during each phase of its mission. The satellites have a design life of seven years. If contact with a satellite is lost, it will automatically decommission itself. This process involves lowering its orbit, depleting batteries, emptying fuel lines and tanks, and ensuring charging circuits are “permanently switched off or fused” to obviate the risk of a surprise recharge. Disposed satellites should deorbit within a year using onboard propulsion. Amazon has stated its design goal is to use an unpressurized, non-explosive propellant. The company worked with the U.S. Air Force’s Combined Space Operations Center on safety aspects, including constellation design and maneuver plans.
The final constellation will contain 3,236 satellites. The constellation will be separated into three shells, with the lowest 784 satellites orbiting at 590 km, another 1,296 satellites 20 km higher at 610 km, and the remaining 1,156 satellites 20km higher again at 630 km.
Amazon’s ground infrastructure consists of gateway antennas that securely send and receive customer data to and from the satellites. Additional antennas will provide telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C) to ensure that the satellites are operating properly.
The customer terminals combine antennas and processors into a compact system to receive broadband service. Amazon set the goal of designing a terminal that cost less than $500 to build. This milestone was achieved in 2020 using a new antenna architecture that is smaller and lighter than traditional designs. Further innovation has reduced the build cost further. Project Kuiper’s standard customer terminal measures less than 11 inches square and 1 inch thick, and weighs less than five pounds without the mounting bracket. The device can deliver speeds up to 400 megabits per second (Mbps). Amazon expects to produce these terminals for less than $400 each.
Amazon image of its standard customer terminal.
Amazon is also developing an ultra-compact 7-inch square design that weighs only 1 pound and offers speeds up to 100 Mbps, and a high-bandwidth design measuring 19 inches by 30 inches with speeds up to 1 Gbps. Project Kuiper's customer terminals are powered by an Amazon-designed baseband chip, developed under the code name “Prometheus.” Prometheus is also used in Project Kuiper’s satellites and ground gateway antennas, allowing the system to process up to 1 terabit per second (Tbps) of traffic on board each satellite.
