Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

According to reports on the morning of October 13, Beijing time, Amazon will launch the first two prototype satellites for the planned space Internet constellation in early 2023 using a new rocket from the Boeing-Lockheed Joint Venture (ULA).

Amazon's original plan was to launch two Internet satellites into orbit by the end of the year, and then there was a delay in the development of ABL Space Systems, a start-up responsible for rocket development, leading Amazon to reselect ULA's new Vulcan rocket.

The mission, the first orbital flight of a rocket, will compete with rocket launchers from SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk. Amazon's launch mission is scheduled for the first quarter of 2023.

Amazon will be the first to launch two prototype satellites as part of its Kuiper network, which is planned to consist of 3236 low-Earth orbit satellites aimed at providing broadband Internet services to remote parts of the world.

Amazon previously announced that it would invest $10 billion in the project, with the goal of catching up with SpaceX's fast-growing Starlink network, which already provides Internet services to thousands of customers in dozens of countries.

Amazon did not disclose the launch time of the first satellites. U. S. communications regulators have asked the company to deploy half of its satellite fleet by 2026.

The company's other contract with startup ABL for at least two launches remains valid, but an Amazon spokesman said they were not sure what kind of satellites the company would use the rockets.

Dan Piemont, president of ABL, told foreign media in an email that the company had built a custom launch adapter for the Kuiper satellite earlier this year and had completed other customization work. He added: "this work is ongoing and will serve future Kuiper launch missions."

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