(Credit: Amazon)
It turns out Amazon’s satellite internet system shares another similarity with SpaceX’s Starlink: The ability to beam data in space using “laser links.”
On Thursday, Amazon revealed the optical laser technology for Project Kuiper, the company’s rival to Starlink. The laser technology had previously been confidential. But now Amazon is discussing it after the laser links were successfully tested in space using two prototype Project Kuiper satellites launched in October.
“In early November, we established the first successful optical links between our two prototype satellites, allowing us to send and receive data at speeds of up to 100Gbps for entire test windows of an hour or more,” Amazon says in a blog post.
(Credit: Amazon)Like Starlink, Project Kuiper plans on using the laser technology to beam internet data from one satellite to another. This means Project Kuiper satellites can fetch internet data from ground stations on Earth’s surface as well as adjacent satellites, creating a mesh network but in space.
“This is especially important for [satellites] operating in regions without a nearby ground station—for example, a cruise liner in the middle of the ocean or an aircraft making a transatlantic flight—allowing them to securely uplink data from effectively any location on Earth, transmit it through space via laser communications, and downlink it to their destination of choice,” Amazon says.
The prototype satellites were able to send data in both directions over a distance of nearly 621 miles during the test window. “And initial data indicates that our design will be able to maintain cross-links between multiple satellites at once,” Amazon adds.
The test suggests Project Kuiper’s laser technology can match Starlink’s laser links, which can also sustain a 100Gbps connection, according to a SpaceX tweet from September.
Amazon adds that it plans on installing the laser link technology into every Project Kuiper satellite. The company also signaled it’s prepared to compete with Starlink outside of ground-based internet users. “These [laser] capabilities increase throughput and reduce latency across our constellation, and provide more flexibility to connect Kuiper customers across land, sea, air, and space,” the company says.
The news comes a month after the prototype Project Kuiper satellites successfully beamed internet data to company computers on the ground. This included facilitating a video call, streaming from Amazon Prime Video, and making an e-commerce purchase.
Amazon has been taking the insights from the tests to finalize designs for the Project Kuiper production satellites, which will begin launching into orbit during 2024’s first half. The company then plans on beta-testing the system with select customers later next year.