Sky's The Limit: Amazon's Project Kuiper Makes First Contact With Prototype Satellites

In a significant stride towards establishing a global space internet system, Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) has successfully launched its inaugural satellites for Project Kuiper. 

The launch occurred at 2:06 p.m. local time Friday from Florida, the tech titan said in a blog post.

This marks the tech behemoth's initial step in its ambitious plan to deploy over 3,000 satellites, aiming to deliver broadband service globally, according to a news report by Bloomberg.

The satellites, KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2, were propelled into space by an Atlas V rocket operated by United Launch Alliance LLC. 

Project Kuiper aims to position 3,326 satellites in low Earth orbit to provide internet coverage to the underserved and remote areas across the globe. 

Delayed Yet Determined

The mission, scheduled initially a year prior, faced delays, leading to a change in the launch vehicle. Amazon reportedly opted for ULA's reliable Atlas V rocket to expedite the satellites' entry into space. 

The company is under a mandate to launch half of its Kuiper constellation by 2026 to adhere to the Federal Communications Commission's licensing requirements, the report noted.

"The launch today started a new phase of our Protoflight mission, and there's a long way to go, but it's an exciting milestone all the same," said Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology for Project Kuiper, in a statement. "I'm tremendously grateful to the Project Kuiper team for their dedication in getting us to this point, and to our partners at United Launch Alliance who helped us deploy our first spacecraft ever into orbit."

Amazon's Project Kuiper is a significant entrant in the competitive space internet domain, marking its territory alongside contenders like SpaceX's Starlink. The space internet race has been characterized by an ambitious goal of creating global broadband accessibility by leveraging advanced satellite technology.

Price Action: AMZN shares closed higher by 1.59% to $127.96 on Friday. Shares traded higher by 0.07% to $128.05 after hours.

This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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