Amazon’s Project Kuiper advances with new satellite-processing facility
Amazon’s Project Kuiper is progressing with its ambitious satellite network plan, as it prepares to establish a new satellite-processing facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. The facility, aimed at stimulating job creation and economic growth, signifies a substantial investment in the low Earth orbit satellite network which aspires to offer fast, affordable broadband to underprivileged communities worldwide.
The new establishment will be utilized for preparing and integrating Kuiper satellites with rockets from Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance (ULA), as part of an anticipated alliance with Space Florida’s Spaceport Improvement Program. Steve Metayer, vice president of Kuiper Production Operations, stated, “We have an ambitious plan to begin Project Kuiper’s full-scale production launches and early customer pilots next year, and this new facility will play a critical role in helping us deliver on that timeline.”
Manufacturing of the satellites is set to commence by the year’s end at a sophisticated facility in Kirkland, Washington. The new facility in Florida will receive these satellite shipments, execute final preparations, and integrate the loaded dispensers with launch vehicles. Spanning 100,000-square-feet, the facility features a 100-foot high bay clean room to accommodate the payload fairing of heavy-lift rockets like Blue Origin’s New Glenn and ULA’s Vulcan Centaur.
Project Kuiper strengthens Amazon’s footprint in space with new facility. Photo courtesy of Amazon.com, Inc.
The satellite-processing facility, set to create up to 50 new jobs, involves an investment of $120 million by Amazon for construction and high-value equipment. It is key to Amazon’s pledge to propel innovation, develop prototype and production satellites, and gear them up for commercial deployment. Brian Huseman, vice president of public policy and community engagement at Amazon, emphasized Amazon’s commitment to supporting Project Kuiper and providing internet access to underserved communities globally.
Amazon’s new satellite-processing facility underscores a series of investments in the U.S. space and satellite industry, particularly in Florida. A total of 77 heavy-lift launch vehicles have been secured to deploy the satellite constellation, predominantly facilitated by Blue Origin and ULA and launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Project Kuiper’s launch agreements will back a multitude of suppliers and jobs across 49 states, with significant contributions in Alabama, Florida, and Colorado.
Project Kuiper’s infrastructure comprises a constellation of over 3,200 satellites in low Earth orbit, high-performance customer terminals, and ground networking enabled by Amazon Web Services. As Amazon gears up to launch two prototype satellites, the company anticipates initiating production launches and early enterprise customer pilots in 2024.