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Amazon Invests $120M in Kuiper Satellite Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center
Updated: Jan 8
Amazon's $10 billion Kuiper project moves forward with a new processing facility in Florida, set to rival SpaceX's Starlink for global broadband dominance.
Amazon has announced its latest move in the ambitious Kuiper project, involving the construction of a $120 million processing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The 100,000 square-foot building will be a crucial hub for Amazon's network of 3,200 low Earth-orbiting satellites, designed to provide broadband internet on a global scale. With plans to launch its first satellites by 2024, Amazon is gearing up for a sprint to deploy half of the network into orbit by 2026, competing fiercely with Elon Musk's Starlink.
The Florida facility, scheduled for completion by late 2024, will play a significant role in the Kuiper project. Employing 50 staff, it will serve as the final stop for Amazon's Kuiper satellites before they embark on their journey into space. The satellites, manufactured at the primary plant in Redmond, Washington, will be fitted into rocket payload farings within the ten-story-tall room at the Florida facility. This protective shell surrounds the satellites on top of the rocket, ensuring their safe transport into space.
Steve Metayer, Amazon's vice president of Kuiper Production Operations, revealed that the first batch of satellites is expected to arrive at the facility for processing in the first half of 2025. Amazon aims to launch its first mass-produced satellites by early 2024, adhering to the U.S. regulators' requirement to deploy half of the network into orbit by 2026. To achieve this, the company has secured 77 heavy-lift rocket launch contracts worth billions of dollars, primarily from United Launch Alliance and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin.
Testing of the Kuiper internet service with corporate and government customers will commence in 2024, marking a critical phase in the project's development. Amazon's Kuiper network seeks to complement its web services powerhouse, positioning the company for a prominent role in the global broadband market.
Amazon invests $120 million in a processing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for its Kuiper internet satellites.
The Kuiper project aims to launch 3,200 low Earth-orbiting satellites to provide broadband internet globally.
The Florida facility will employ 50 staff and serve as the last stop before satellites head to space.
Source: REUTERS