Update : Tuesday , October 10 , 9:12 a.m. ET : United Launch Alliancelaunchedthe first two prototype satellites , KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 , on an Atlas V skyrocket on October 6 , 2023 .
Original article follows .
Amazon is finally pose ready to launch its Project Kuiper prototype satellites following multiple delays and rocket worry .
The Atlas 5 booster stage.Photo: ULA
The two satellites will launch on board United Launch Alliance ’s ( ULA ) Atlas 5 rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida . Liftoff will take place on Friday during a two - hour launching window that spread out at 2:00 p.m. ET . ULA will broadcast the launch live through itswebsite , and you’re able to also tune in to the activity through the lively feed below . Coverage will start at 1:40 p.m. ET . Forecasters arepredictinga 70 % chance of favorable weather condition conditions at Cape Canaveral .
The Atlas 5 skyrocket will place Kuipersat-1 and Kuipersat-2 in 311 Admiralty mile ( 500 kilometer ) orb with an inclination of 30 degrees , grant to ULA . Amazon awarded three contracts worth around $ 1.7 billion to Blue Origin , Arianespace , and ULA to launch most of its 3,236 - satellite configuration to modest Earth orbit .
ULA had originally planned to apply its Vulcan Centaur rocket salad to launch the Project Kuiper satellite to low Earth orbit , but the launch fomite ’s debut has been delayed . Instead , ULA opt to utilise its Atlas 5 rocketto launching the two prototype satellites . Amazon ’s license with the Federal Communications Commissionstipulatesthat it must launch one-half of Project Kuiper by 2026 . Amazon seeks to receive that butt and deploy the intact 3,236 - satellite configuration by 2029 .
If the first foreign mission is successful , Amazon will then launch more planet to form the megaconstellation across 46 launches , using both Atlas V and Vulcan Centaurs , in add-on to plunge vehicles provide by Arianespace and Blue Origin . Similar to SpaceX ’s Starlink , Amazon ’s approaching Project Kuiper point to provide fast and affordable broadband cyberspace access to regions around the worldly concern .
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