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Amazon Kuiper’s initial roster of 27 satellites will be launched by the Atlas V rocket. (Photo: Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates)
Amazon is set to begin deployment of its Project Kuiper satellite network with the launch of 27 low Earth orbit satellites on April 9. The launch, named KA-01 for Kuiper Atlas 1, will take place from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, using United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket. The mission marks the first full deployment of Kuiper satellites aimed at establishing a global broadband service.
The satellites will be placed at an initial altitude of approximately 450km. This launch represents a key milestone in Amazon’s broader objective to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet across underserved and remote regions worldwide. The company stated that commercial services are expected to commence later this year.
Amazon confirmed that KA-01 is the initial step in deploying its first-generation satellite system, which will eventually comprise over 3,200 satellites in low Earth orbit. More than 80 launches have been secured with providers including Arianespace, Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance. The combined agreements represent what Amazon described as the largest commercial procurement of launch services to date.
“We’ve designed some of the most advanced communications satellites ever built, and every launch is an opportunity to add more capacity and coverage to our network,” said Project Kuiper vice president Rajeev Badyal. “We’ve done extensive testing on the ground to prepare for this first mission, but there are some things you can only learn in flight, and this will be the first time we’ve flown our final satellite design and the first time we’ve deployed so many satellites at once.”
The KA-01 satellites have undergone significant updates following the 2023 Protoflight mission, in which Amazon tested two prototypes. According to the company, improvements have been made across several subsystems including phased array antennas, propulsion units, solar power systems, processors, and optical inter-satellite links. A specialised dielectric mirror coating has also been applied to reduce their visibility to ground-based astronomy instruments.
The upcoming launch will carry the heaviest payload ever flown by the Atlas V rocket, requiring its most powerful configuration. This includes five solid rocket boosters and an extended payload fairing measuring 23.5m in height and 5m in width. The Atlas V rocket will deploy the satellites into orbit before control of the constellation transitions to Amazon’s mission operations centre in Redmond, Washington.
Following separation from the launch vehicle, each satellite will autonomously initiate system activation procedures. They will then use onboard electric propulsion systems to ascend gradually to their designated orbital altitude of 630km. Once fully operational, each satellite is expected to circle the Earth every 90 minutes at speeds exceeding 27,000kmph.
Amazon’s stated objective for the KA-01 mission is to ensure the successful deployment of all satellites into orbit, enabling them to manoeuvre independently and establish communication with ground operations.
In parallel to satellite deployment, Amazon has also been building out the necessary terrestrial infrastructure to enable end-to-end data transfer. This includes compact customer terminals, a global network of ground stations, and backend communications powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Additional launches to follow as Kuiper constellation expands
Following the KA-01 launch, Amazon and United Launch Alliance plan to conduct seven additional launches using the Atlas V rocket, along with 38 scheduled launches on the latter’s Vulcan Centaur. The remaining launch capacity will be fulfilled by Arianespace, Blue Origin, and SpaceX under existing agreements.
Amazon has already begun preparations for the next mission, KA-02, which will also utilise an Atlas V rocket and launch from the same Florida site. This steady rollout forms part of the company’s stated goal to scale production, testing, and service delivery over the coming months.
