The Register by Tobias Mann 7/22/2023
Web super-biz dreams of lobbing 3,000-plus internet-relay birds into orbitIn all, Amazon plans to loft 3,200 satellites into LEO, where they'll compete with Elon Musk's Starlink constellation to beam broadband internet to under-served subscribers around the globe, and hopefully not further inconvenience astronomers.
Amazon says it will launch two prototypes "in the coming months" and has secured 77 launches with the United Launch Alliance (ULA), Blue Origin, and others. Blue Origin being the rocket biz set up by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, natch. However, the two rockets highlighted in the release — the Blue Origin New Glenn and ULA's Vulcan Centaur — haven't actually made it off the ground yet.
The web giant hasn't started volume satellite production at its Kirkland, Washington facility yet either. According to the media statement, that won't happen until later this year. Meanwhile, the satellite processing facility in Florida is slated for completion early next year. Meanwhile SpaceX is already delivering orbital internet services.
More:
https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/22/amazon_kuiper_station/
