GIZMODO By Passant Rabie 10/28/22
To keep its FCC license, the company must launch half of its 3,236 Project Kuiper satellites by 2026.Amazon is on a tight schedule to launch its internet satellites to orbit, so the company may have to turn to its competitor SpaceX for rides.
During a live interview with the Washington Post, Amazon senior vice president Dave Limp expressed the company’s openness to use SpaceX’s heavy lift rockets to deploy its Project Kuiper internet satellites. “We are open to talking to SpaceX, you’d be crazy not given their track record here,” Limp said.
However, Amazon is not interested in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets that are currently lofting the company’s Starlink satellites. Amazon’s internet satellites are larger than those being deployed by SpaceX, which explains why the company is eyeing SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket and its upcoming Starship rocket, the latter of which is still in development.
Limp’s statement come as a surprise considering that Amazon signed deals earlier this year with Arianespace, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance to lift its satellites into orbit, while leaving out SpaceX from the mix. Both companies are aiming to bring high-speed internet to remote areas across the world by beaming down data signals from low Earth orbit.
More:
https://gizmodo.com/amazon-spacex-rival-project-kuiper-satellite-launches-1849715511
