After several delays, Amazon successfully launched two satellites on October 6, 2023, which have now finished some initial tests and are operating normally according to a news release. The service is being developed to provide high-speed internet to residences and companies.
Amazon has been working on Project Kuiper, also known as Amazon’s low-cost satellite internet, since 2019. The two satellites, KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2, have passed their initial testing for maneuevering thrusters, and are now stable in orbit and harvesting energy from the sun. Amazon CEO Andy Jassey has said that Project Kuiper is now a focus of the company. The service will offer three internet speed options: Standard, Pro Version, and Portable Version. Amazon has not yet disclosed the actual costs, but is preparing to undercut Starlink.
Amazon aims to launch more than 3,000 satellites into low-Earth orbit to enable its home internet service, and hopes to launch and mass-produce satellites to be released next year. Speaking with Yahoo in July, Peter Cohan, an associate business professor at Babson College, said it would not be surprising if the service costs less than $100 a month, though Amazon has not yet established pricing details.
With the completion of this first phase, Amazon’s hope of making affordable high-speed internet accessible to millions of unserved and underserved communities has come one step closer to realization.
