Project Kuiper has been founded in 2019 as a subsidiary of Amazon. The full constellation will consist of 3236 satellites in Low Earth Orbit.
As per the FCC license, Amazon needs to deploy at least 50% of all planned satellites until the end of July 2026. This is an ambitious timeline, considering this first launch will only deliver two test sats. The contracted launch providers so far are ULA (Atlas V and Vulcan), Blue Origin (New Glenn) and ESA (Ariane 6).
Vulcan, Ariane 6 and New Glenn have never flown and ULA has already contracted all remaining Altas V flights. Vulcan might launch in the fourth quarter of 2023 for the first time. Ariane 6 might launch at the beginning of 2024 for the first time. There is currently no timeline for the first New Glenn launch.
So far, Amazon has been very tight-lipped with regards to the satellites and the launch. There will be a live-stream on October 6, 18:00 UTC by United Launch Alliance
Or with more commentary:
Kuiper Systems LLC: aboutamazon.com/news/tag/project-kuiper
Following up on @thesheetztweetz' story, here is the data on Echostar 7's orbit raising based on US Space Force tracking https://t.co/9xLAaW5S0q pic.twitter.com/yJKCxaQ9vD
โ Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) October 2, 2023
While the fine appears to be extraordinary low, it will have ripple effects:
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Space enthusiasts!
โ IAC 2023 (@Iac2023) October 5, 2023
Join #IAC2023 here NOW for the LIVE FIRESIDE CHAT with Elon Musk ๐๐ https://t.co/dUdP6rZzIL
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