Kuiper Systems

Kuiper Systems LLC is a subsidiary of Amazon that was set up in 2019 to deploy a large broadband satellite internet constellation to provide broadband internet connectivity.[1][2] The deployment is also referred to by its project name "Project Kuiper".[1] Amazon announced that it would be investing $10 billion in this project to deploy the satellite internet constellation.[3]

"Project Kuiper" redirects here. For other projects named Kuiper, see Kuiper (disambiguation).
Kuiper Systems LLC
TypeSubsidiary
HeadquartersRedmond, Washington, U.S.
Key people
Rajeev Badyal (president)

History

Amazon announced in April 2019 that they would fund and deploy a large broadband satellite internet constellation called "Project Kuiper".[1][2] It is expected to take up to a decade to fully deploy all 3,236 satellites planned for the full constellation in order to provide internet to "tens of millions of people who lack basic access to broadband internet."[1] Amazon has not announced if they intend to sell broadband service directly to consumers, but they will "offer broadband service through partnerships with other companies."[4]

In December 2019, information became public that Amazon was asking the FCC to waive requirements (eg. to have applied by 2016) that SpaceX and OneWeb had to follow in order to get their large satellite internet constellations licensed.[5] As of December 2019, the FCC had not yet ruled on the request. SpaceX and others have asked the FCC to reject the waiver request.[5]

On 30 July 2020, Amazon announced that it would be investing more than $10 billion in Project Kuiper, post receiving an authorization from the Federal Communications Commission for a Project Kuiper constellation of 3,236 satellites, to provide broadband internet access across the globe. A condition included in the FCC's authorization was a non-interference clause that required the satellites to not interfere with previously authorized satellite ventures.[6]

In December 2020, Amazon unveiled a high-level overview of the low-cost flat-panel antenna that it plans to use for the Project Kuiper satellite constellation. It is a Ka-band phased-array antenna that is much smaller than traditional designs for antennas that operate at 17–30 GHz. The antenna will be ~30 cm (12 in) in width and is expected to support up to 400 megabits per second (Mbps) of data bandwidth at over 5x less cost than traditional state-of-the-art flat-panel antennas.[7] Amazon also announced that they intend to be "launch agnostic" and would not plan to exclusively use launch capacity from Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company, but rather were open to launch capability offers from all providers.[7]

Operations

The satellites are projected to use an orbit with a height between 590 and 630 km (370 and 390 mi).[8] Kuiper is planned to work in concert with Amazon's previously announced large network of 12 satellite ground station facilities (the "AWS Ground Station unit") announced in November 2018.[9] Amazon filed communications license documents with the U.S. regulatory authorities the FCC in July 2019, which included information that the wholly owned Amazon subsidiary that intended to deploy the satellite constellation was Kuiper Systems LLC, based in Seattle, Washington.[10] As of July 2019, the Kuiper System is planned to consist of 3,236 satellites operating in 98 orbital planes in three orbital shells, one each at 590 kilometers (370 mi), 610 km (380 mi), and 630 km (390 mi) orbital altitude.[11] The Kuiper System includes high-performance satellites, terrestrial gateways, internetworking technologies, and a range of customer terminals."[10]

The president of Kuiper Systems is Rajeev Badyal, a former vice president of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet constellation.[4] In December 2019, Amazon announced that the team were expected to move headquarters to a larger R&D facility in Redmond, Washington, in 2020. However, an update continues to remain pending on the final move.[12][13][14]

See also

References
  1. Sheetz, Michael (April 4, 2019). "Amazon wants to launch thousands of satellites so it can offer broadband internet from space". CNBC. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  2. Henry, Caleb (April 4, 2019). "Amazon planning 3,236-satellite constellation for internet connectivity". SpaceNews. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  3. Sheetz, Michael (2020-07-30). "Amazon will invest over $10 billion in its satellite internet network after receiving FCC authorization". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2020-08-01. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  4. Brodkin, Jon (July 8, 2019). "Amazon plans nationwide broadband—with both home and mobile service". ars Technica. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019. Kuiper is wholly owned by Amazon, and its president is Rajeev Badyal, a former SpaceX vice president who was reportedly fired because SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was unsatisfied with his company's satellite-broadband progress.
  5. "SpaceX Is Lobbying Against Amazon's Internet-Beaming Satellites". Vice. Retrieved December 23, 2019. Amazon is trying to get a waiver to FCC rules that companies like SpaceX and OneWeb had to follow.
  6. "Amazon vows to invest $10B in Kuiper satellites after getting FCC's go-ahead". GeekWire. 2020-07-30. Archived from the original on 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  7. Foust, Jeff (15 December 2020). "Amazon unveils flat-panel customer terminal for Kuiper constellation". SpaceNews. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  8. "Chasing SpaceX, Amazon Seeks to Launch 3,236 Internet Satellites". July 5, 2019. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  9. Sheetz, Michael (November 27, 2018). "Amazon cloud business reaches into space with satellite connection service". CNBC. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  10. "APPLICATION FOR AUTHORITY TO LAUNCH AND OPERATE A NON-GEOSTATIONARY SATELLITE ORBIT SYSTEM IN KA-BAND FREQUENCIES". licensing.fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. July 4, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  11. Amazon lays out constellation service goals, deployment and deorbit plans to FCC, Caleb Henry, SpaceNews, July 8, 2019, accessed September 9, 2019.
  12. Henry, Caleb (December 18, 2019). "Amazon moving Project Kuiper team to new R&D headquarters". SpaceNews. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  13. "Amazon is moving Project Kuiper satellite operation to huge Redmond facility". GeekWire. 2019-12-19. Archived from the original on 2020-03-14. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  14. "Space Place". 425 Business. 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
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