Satellite-based internet has emerged as the next Avenue for mobile connectivity. Currently, the Starlink Nakshatra of the SpaceX satellites led by Elon Musk is sitting at the top of the food chain. Starlink satellites are now working in war areas, with deals with airline carriers to provide in-Flight Wi-Fi for partnership covering mobile devices with T-Mobiles.
This will soon be some hot competition from Amazon. The company has announced that it will launch its first batch of 27 satellites on 9 April as part of the Kuper Atlas 1 mission on 9 April. It is the first full-scale deployment of satellites as part of the ambitious project Kuper, which expects to create a planetary of 3,200 satellites in a low-earth orbit.
Short start, ambitious plans
Amazon notes that so far, it has secured the launch of more than 80 satellites for the first network phase. Like the SpaceX and its starlink system, the project Kuper is promising high speed, low-distinguished internet connection to almost any place worldwide.
The company says that Project Kuper will start offering internet services by the end of 2025. The satellites will be launched with the most powerful configuration of Ula’s Atlas V rocket, including a total of six large boosters engines.
In the coming years, the Atlas V will take over half a dozen satellite launch missions, while the larger Vulcan Sentor Rocket will handle 38 satellite injection trips. Arianspace, Blue Origin and SpaceX will also share some launch duties.
Ahead roadmap
Rajiv Badial, VP of Project Kuper in Amazon, says, “This will be the first time we must have flown our last satellite design and for the first time we have deployed so many satellites in one go.” “No matter how the mission comes out, it is just the beginning of our journey, and we have all the pieces to learn and adapt because we prepare to launch again and again in the coming years.
For comparison, SpaceX has already launched thousands of starlink satellites and provides its internet services in more than a hundred countries. Apart from its consumer-supporting business, the company has also obtained the government and military contracts, while the SpaceX shoulder NASA mission duties, including the Artemis project.
The company has been testing prototype satellites since 2023, and they stand out of a unique dielectric mirror film that reflects sunlight and prevent them from interfering with the view of ground-based telescopes. Obstruction and night-shy pollution has recently raised concerns within the scientific community due to swimming in the orbit of satellites and other man-made materials.
