Project Kuiper

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The Kuiper project is a planned constellation of communications satellites for the Amazon group. The project is still at an early stage. In the long term, it should provide worldwide broadband internet access via 3236 satellites . Amazon plans to invest billions of dollars in the satellite constellation.

The project is named after the Kuiper Belt , named after the astronomer Gerard Peter Kuiper , an area of ​​the solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune in which numerous asteroids orbit the sun.

organization

The Amazon subsidiary Kuiper Systems LLC in Washington, DC is responsible for the development and subsequent operation of the system . The top management of the company recruited Amazon from former employees of the competitor SpaceX , which itself works on the large Internet satellite constellation Starlink . Its CEO Elon Musk had replaced the Starlink management in October 2018 because he was dissatisfied with the speed of the project.

Planned construction

The Kuiper project only became public after the mandatory publication of three applications for international radio frequencies in March 2019. Further details can be found in the corresponding application for US radio frequencies from July 2019. The applications include three groups of planned satellites in three different orbit categories :

  • 784 satellites at an altitude of 590 km, orbit inclination 33 °
  • 1296 satellites at altitudes of 610 km, orbital inclination 52 °
  • 1156 satellites at altitudes of 630 km, orbital inclination 42 °

This could cover the earth's surface between about 56 degrees north and south latitude . Around 95% of the world's population live in this area.

The construction of the constellation is to take place in five phases, starting with 578 satellites at an altitude of 630 km and a network of earth stations ("Gateway earth stations"). The system can go into operation after this first phase, but only with coverage in the range of 39–56 ° north and south latitude. A schedule was not given.

implementation

At first it was not known whether Amazon would build the satellites like SpaceX itself or - like the second main competitor OneWeb - have them manufactured externally. In its initial statements, the company has not yet decided who should launch the satellites. The Amazon founder and director Jeff Bezos owns Blue Origin , his own space company, whose New Glenn rocket could be considered for transport into space .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Alan Boyle: Jeff Bezos explains Amazon's bet on Project Kuiper satellites - and copes with an onstage protest. In: Geekwire. June 6, 2019, accessed June 10, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e John Porter: Amazon will launch thousands of satellites to provide internet around the world. In: Geekwire. April 4, 2019, accessed April 14, 2019 .
  3. ^ Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk join the satellite space race . Financial Times , June 2, 2019.
  4. ^ Jose Albuquerque: Coordination Request Information for a new NGSO / FSS satellite system, USASAT-NGSO-8C. ( docx ) In: itu.int. Kuiper Systems LLC, March 26, 2019, accessed April 14, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Michael Sheetz: Bezos hired a SpaceX vice president to run Amazon's satellite internet project after Musk fired him. In: cnbc.com. April 7, 2019, accessed April 14, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Eric M. Johnson and Joey Roulette: Musk reportedly fired seven senior managers at SpaceX in hopes of getting his Starlink satellite internet project operational by 2020. In: Business Insider. Reuters, October 31, 2018, accessed April 15, 2019 .
  7. ↑ USA 2019-12909. In: itu.int. March 26, 2019, accessed April 14, 2019 .
  8. ↑ USA 2019-12905. In: itu.int. March 26, 2019, accessed April 14, 2019 .
  9. ↑ USA 2019-13020. In: itu.int. March 28, 2019, accessed April 14, 2019 .
  10. ^ Application for Fixed Satellite Service by Kuiper Systems LLC. In: fcc.report. Kuiper Systems LLC, July 4, 2019, accessed July 28, 2019 .
  11. ↑ a b Technical Appendix - Application of Kuiper Systems LLC for Authority to Launch and Operate a Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit System in Ka-band Frequencies. In: fcc.report. Kuiper Systems LLC, July 4, 2019, pp. 3–6 , accessed July 28, 2019 .