Amazon’s prototypes for Project Kuiper successfully lifted off into space on Friday, setting the stage for the first space-based tests of the satellite internet service.
The two prototype satellites, KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2, rode onboard an Atlas V rocket from Amazon’s partner, United Launch Alliance (ULA).
At 2:06 p.m. local time, the rocket took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on schedule without incident. A few minutes later, the rocket then crossed the Kármán line, the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.
The prototype satellites, which are held in the rocket’s nose, should be released into Earth’s orbit soon, where they’ll hover at about 311 miles above the planet's surface.
Following several delays, the launch represents the first time Amazon will deploy satellites for Project Kuiper, a system that’s poised to rival SpaceX’s Starlink. The company plans on using the prototypes to test the satellite internet system as Amazon ramps up production.
“The series of tests will add real-world data from space to years of data collected from lab and field testing, providing additional insight into how the end-to-end Project Kuiper network performs across ground and space,” the company wrote in a blog post earlier this week.
“As the mission progresses, we will test the network from end to end, sending data back and forth between the internet, our ground gateways, the satellites, and our customer terminals,” Amazon added.
Once the tests are completed, the company plans on deorbiting both prototype satellites for disposal, allowing them to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. In the coming months, Amazon then plans on launching finalized Project Kuiper satellites into the planet’s orbit with the goal of establishing a space-based internet system spanning over 3,200 satellites.
“Our first production satellites are on track for launch in the first half of 2024, and we expect to be in beta testing with early commercial customers by the end of 2024,” the company added. But for now, Amazon has yet to announce pricing and availability for Project Kuiper.