CNBC by Michael Sheetz 10/12/2022
Amazon changes rockets for launch of prototype Kuiper internet satellites, pushing mission to 2023
Key Points
• Amazon is swapping rides for the first prototype satellites for its Project Kuiper internet network, the company announced Wednesday.
• The move from ABL’s RS1 rocket to ULA’s Vulcan rocket effectively delays the first in-space test of Kuiper satellites to the first quarter of 2023.
• Project Kuiper is Amazon’s plan to build a network of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit, to provide high-speed internet to anywhere in the world.
Amazon is swapping rides for the first prototype satellites for its Project Kuiper internet network, the company announced Wednesday, a move that delays launching the pair of spacecraft to early next year.
The tech giant is moving its Kuipersat-1 and Kuipersat-2 from the RS1 rocket in development by ABL Space to the debut flight of the Vulcan rocket from United Launch Alliance, the joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin
A year ago Amazon announced that ABL’s RS1 would carry the prototypes to orbit in late 2022, but the rocket is still in development, with a prior debut launch yet to lift off.
More:
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/12/amazon-changes-kuiper-prototype-satellites-launch-from-abl-to-ula.html