Amazon goals to launch the primary two prototype satellites for its enormous Project Kuiper broadband constellation in 2022.
The two spacecraft, often known as KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2, will elevate off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station by the fourth quarter of subsequent yr, if all goes based on plan, the corporate introduced right this moment (Nov. 1).
The duo will check key expertise for Project Kuiper, a constellation in low Earth orbit (LEO) that Amazon envisions consisting of greater than 3,200 satellites ultimately.
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“We’ve invented lots of new technology to meet our cost and performance targets for Project Kuiper. All of the systems are testing well in simulated and lab settings, and we’ll soon be ready to see how they perform in space,” Rajeev Badyal, vp of expertise for Project Kuiper, said in a statement.
“There is no substitute for on-orbit testing, and we expect to learn a lot given the complexity and risk of operating in such a challenging environment,” Badyal mentioned. “We can’t wait to get started.”
KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 will attain orbit by way of the RS1, a brand new rocket developed by California-based ABL Space Systems. Amazon additionally introduced right this moment that it has signed a multi-launch take care of ABL to supply these early Project Kuiper launches.
The 88-foot-tall (27 meters) RS1 is able to launching 2,975 kilos (1,350 kilograms) of payload to LEO, based on its ABL specifications page. ABL is charging $12 million for every launch of the two-stage rocket. The RS1 has not flown but, however ABL has mentioned that it goals to conduct a debut launch from Alaska’s Pacific Spaceport Complex before the end of 2021.
Earlier this yr, Amazon introduced that it had signed a take care of United Launch Alliance, whose Atlas V rocket will loft operational Project Kuiper craft on nine different launches.
Project Kuiper is not the one deliberate broadband constellation within the works. For instance, SpaceX has already launched greater than 1,700 spacecraft for its Starlink community, which may ultimately embrace tens of hundreds of satellites. And OneWeb has lofted more than half of the 648 spacecraft that may make up its preliminary constellation.
Such megaconstellation plans fear dark-sky advocates {and professional} astronomers, who’ve been stunned and dismayed by the brightness of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. Amazon says it would take measures to attenuate the influence that Project Kuiper has on the evening sky.
“For example, one of the two prototype satellites will include a sunshade to help us understand whether it is an effective way to reduce reflectivity and mitigate its impact on ground-based optical telescopes,” firm representatives wrote in the identical assertion. “We will collect data to compare reflectivity between the two spacecraft and share any learnings with the astronomy community following the mission.”
Mike Wall is the writer of “Out There” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a ebook concerning the seek for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
