Latest news with #RajeevBadyal
Express Tribune
29-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Amazon successfully launches first Kuiper satellites, challenges SpaceX's Starlink
United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off carrying Amazon's Project Kuiper internet network satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., April 28, REUTERS Listen to article Amazon on Monday launched its first 27 Project Kuiper satellites into low Earth orbit, marking the tech giant's official entry into the satellite internet market dominated by SpaceX's Starlink. The satellites lifted off aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida just after 7 pm ET. The successful mission follows a weather delay and represents a key milestone in Amazon's $10 billion plan to deploy more than 3,200 satellites aimed at delivering global internet coverage. The Kuiper network, first announced six years ago, is Amazon's most ambitious space initiative to date. The satellites, designed to orbit at approximately 280 miles above Earth, will eventually beam internet service to underserved areas across the globe. Amazon aims to begin commercial operations by the end of 2025. Amazon has secured more than 80 rocket launches with various providers—including ULA, Arianespace, Blue Origin, and rival SpaceX—to meet a US regulatory requirement to deploy at least half of its constellation by July 2026. Despite Amazon's late start, the company insists Kuiper will become a key pillar of its broader business ecosystem, including Amazon Web Services and logistics. CEO Andy Jassy recently told shareholders the project would eventually generate meaningful returns, though Wall Street analysts remain cautious. Amazon's main competitor, SpaceX's Starlink, already operates over 8,000 satellites and serves more than 4.6 million customers worldwide. Analysts warn Amazon faces an uphill battle to catch up. 'This is just the beginning,' said Rajeev Badyal, VP of Project Kuiper. 'We're ready to learn, adapt, and scale.' With geopolitical, commercial, and technological stakes high, Amazon's Kuiper launch signals a new phase in the race to control the future of global internet access.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
70% chance of favorable weather for this evening's ULA launch from Florida
April 28 (UPI) -- United Launch Alliance on Monday plans to launch Amazon's first 27 satellites after earlier launch plans were scrubbed nearly three weeks ago because of inclement weather in Florida. Liftoff for Kuiper-1 is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. There is a two-hour launch window, and it can be pushed back to Tuesday in case of bad weather again or technical problems. There is a 10-mile ring around the launch site for weather considerations. On Monday, weather conditions were listed as 70% favorable, according to ULA. The 106.5-foot Atlas 551 booster will put 27 Kuiper satellites into orbit at an altitude of 280 miles for high-speed Internet access to millions of people around the world. The Atlas V 551 rocket is configured with five side-mounted solid rocket boosters and a medium-length payload fairing, according to ULA. The rocket elements were assembled inside the Vertical Integration Facility adjacent to the launch pad. Amazon plans to launch 3,232 Kuiper satellites by 2029, including half by mid-2026. The Federal Communications Commission in February 2023 approved the entire Project Kuiper after ULA dealt with the risks of orbital debris. Last week, ULA President and CEO Tony Bruno said the company is targeting late spring or early summer for its next Kuiper Atlas launch. The company also is planning its first national security mission via a Vulcan rocket. In October 2023, ULA launched two prototype Kuiper satellites into orbit for testing. Amazon is building the satellites in Kirkland, Wash. "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," Rajeev Badyal, vice president of Project Kuiper, said in a pre-launch blog posting. "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." Rival SpaceX has launched 7,000 Starlink satellites for more than 5 million subscribers. Also, Eutelsat OneWeb also is entering the market for low Earth orbit satellites for internet usage. United Launch Alliance LLC was formed in December 2006 as a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Amazon's Florida rocket launch may be visible in Ithaca. What to know, where to look
New Yorkers should keep their eyes to the sky Wednesday night as they may be able to catch a glimpse of a Florida-based rocket launch from their own backyards. Amazon's Project Kuiper is sending its first full batch of satellites to space Wednesday through a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket, according to an Amazon news release. The 27 satellites will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and be deployed 280 miles above Earth. '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,' Rajeev Badyal, vice president of Project Kuiper, said. "No matter how the mission unfolds, this is just the start of our journey, and we have all the pieces in place to learn and adapt as we prepare to launch again and again over the coming years.' Here's what to know about Wednesday's rocket launch. Liftoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 9, from Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, according to ULA's mission website, with a launch window of two hours. Updates on the launch and a livestream of the launch will be available through ULA's mission website at The livestream will begin around 20 minutes before liftoff, according to Amazon's news release. Although the skies are predicted to be quite clear and sunny throughout the day Wednesday, clouds are expected to roll in for the evening hours, making for possibly a difficult night to see the launch in both the Rochester and White Plains areas, according to forecasts by the National Weather Service. The guidelines are estimates based on a graphic provided by ULA, the USA TODAY Network in Florida reported. Around 330 seconds after the rocket's launch, those living in and around Binghamton and Albany might be able to see the rocket and around 390 seconds after launch, the rest of New York could possibly catch a glimpse. Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network's New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@ This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Amazon rocket launch may be visible in New York. How and when to watch
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Atlas V rocket will launch Amazon's 1st big batch of Project Kuiper internet satellites on April 9
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Amazon's first big batch of Project Kuiper broadband satellites will lift off just a week from now, if all goes according to plan. A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is scheduled to send 27 Project Kuiper satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) on April 9, Amazon announced today (April 2). The Atlas V will lift off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a three-hour window that opens at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT). You'll be able to watch it live when the time comes. This will be the second Project Kuiper launch to date; an Atlas V lofted two test versions of the satellites back in October 2023. Related: Atlas V rocket launches Amazon's 1st 2 internet satellites to orbit (video) "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," Rajeev Badyal, vice president of Project Kuiper, said in an Amazon statement today. "No matter how the mission unfolds, this is just the start of our journey, and we have all the pieces in place to learn and adapt as we prepare to launch again and again over the coming years," Badyal added. The initial Project Kuiper constellation will consist of about 3,200 satellites in LEO, according to Amazon. The network will provide internet service to customers around the world, just as SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation already does. (Elon Musk's company currently operates more than 7,100 Starlink satellites in LEO and launches more of them every week.) RELATED STORIES — Amazon gets a green light to launch 3,000-satellite Kuiper constellation — Starlink satellites: Facts, tracking and impact on astronomy — Blinded by the light: How bad are satellite megaconstellations for astronomy? The April 9 launch will be the first of the year for ULA. The 27 Project Kuiper satellites will comprise the heaviest payload that the venerable Atlas V has ever flown, according to Amazon. The company will build out the Project Kuiper constellation over the coming years with seven more Atlas V launches and 38 involving the rocket's successor, ULA's new Vulcan Centaur. "An additional 30-plus launches are planned across our other launch providers: Arianespace, Blue Origin and SpaceX," Amazon wrote in today's statement.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
United Launch Alliance, Amazon set first launch for SpaceX Starlink competitor Project Kuiper
A launch date is set for the first batch of what will be thousands of satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper as the company looks to play catch-up to SpaceX and its Starlink internet constellation. United Launch Alliance is targeting a three-hour window that opens at noon Eastern time on April 9. It will send up 27 satellites on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41. The KA-01 mission, which stands for Kuiper Atlas 1, will be ULA's first launch of the year and the first of dozens Amazon has bought to get 3,232 satellites into low-Earth orbit by 2029. SpaceX already has nearly 6,500 of its Starlink satellites in an operational orbit serving more than 5 million customers worldwide. Amazon is primed, though, to start knocking out as many launches as it can. It has contracted to use eight of the remaining Atlas V rockets as well as an additional 38 on ULA's new Vulcan rocket. In addition, the company has launches lined up with Jeff Bezos' rocket company Blue Origin, European company Arianespace and even a couple of launches with SpaceX. Amazon's license from the Federal Communications Commission requires half of the satellites be placed in orbit by July 31, 2026. So far, Amazon has flown two test satellites — in late 2023. That paved the way, though, for operational hardware production at company facilities in Washington. Also in the works is a new satellite processing facility at an 80-acre site at the Kennedy Space Center's former Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida. Amazon expects to begin satellite internet service to customers before years' end. '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,' Rajeev Badyal, vice president of Project Kuiper, said in a press release. '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.' The design changed from the test satellites to this first operational batch, and it will be the first time it will be deploying them in such a large number. 'No matter how the mission unfolds, this is just the start of our journey, and we have all the pieces in place to learn and adapt as we prepare to launch again and again over the coming years,' he said. The satellites are designed to orbit at an altitude of 392 miles circling the Earth about once every 90 minutes at more than 17,000 mph. The 27 satellites will be the heaviest payload ever flown on an Atlas V and require ULA to launch it in its most powerful configuration using five strap-on solid rocket boosters. Amazon has already begun to ship and process satellites for the next flight, also on an Atlas V, although ULA might prioritize the first national security launches of its new Vulcan that was finally certified last month by Space Force. ULA is constructing a second vehicle integration facility at Cape Canaveral's SLC-41, though, so it can process two rockets at the same time as it has a backlog of more than 70 launches to knock out. _____
