Amazon announces up to 83 satellite launches for Project Kuiper
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Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) on Tuesday announced deals with Arianespace, Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance (ULA) to provide heavy-lift launch services for Project Kuiper.
The contracts total up to 83 launches over 5 years, providing capacity for AMZN to deploy the majority of its 3.2K-satellite constellation. As per the company, this is the largest ever commercial procurement of launch vehicles.
Project Kuiper is AMZN's initiative to increase global broadband access using a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit.
Suppliers from 49 U.S. states will help develop the next-generation, heavy-lift launch vehicles from Blue Origin and ULA, while Arianespace relies on ArianeGroup's network of suppliers from 13 European countries to produce its Ariane 6 rocket.
AMZN is working with Beyond Gravity, a Swiss space technology provider, to build low-cost, scalable satellite dispensers that will help deploy the Project Kuiper constellation. Beyond Gravity will open a new production facility for the same.
European spaceline Arianespace's Ariane 6 rocket is scheduled to launch by year-end. AMZN secured 18 Ariane 6 rockets as part of this initial deal.
AMZN signed a deal with Blue Origin to secure 12 launches using New Glenn, with options for up to 15 additional launches.
AMZN's deal with ULA covers 38 launches on Vulcan Centaur, ULA's newest heavy-lift launch vehicle.
This contract also covers production and launch infrastructure to support a higher cadence of launches at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The deal is in addition to Project Kuiper's existing deal to secure 9 Atlas V vehicles from ULA.
Project Kuiper plans to launch 2 prototype missions later this year on ABL Space Systems' RS1 rocket.