Amazon has successfully launched its inaugural satellites today, marking a significant milestone in the testing phase of Project Kuiper, the company's global broadband internet constellation initiative. These two prototype satellites, referred to as KuiperSat 1 and KuiperSat 2, embarked on their journey into space atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, departing from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2:06 p.m. ET (11:06 a.m. PT).
The Protoflight mission's progress was actively documented by United Launch Alliance on their X / Twitter account, and in a post-launch statement, they officially declared the mission a success, emphasizing the precise delivery of the satellites to their intended orbits by the Atlas V rocket.
The designated flight path had the satellites placed into orbits approximately 311 miles above Earth's surface, at a 30-degree inclination. Deployment was scheduled to take place roughly 18 minutes after liftoff. We have reached out to Amazon for further information on the deployment and satellite communication and will incorporate any updates into this report.
Project Kuiper, an ambitious venture introduced four years ago, aims to extend broadband internet access, along with satellite-based access to Amazon Web Services, to millions of individuals worldwide. These prototype satellites, constructed at Project Kuiper's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, will serve as vital tools for testing spacecraft hardware, ground operations, and customer terminals as part of Amazon's ongoing development efforts.
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Credit: ULA
