Amazon building new Florida satellite facility for its Starlink rival

Amazon’s Starlink rival, Project Kuiper, is getting closer to liftoff. The company announced today that a new $120 million satellite-processing facility is under construction at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for this initiative. Amazon plans to launch its first satellite “in the coming months,” followed by the first customer pilot launch next year.

Like Elon Musk’s Starlink, Project Kuiper aims to provide fast and affordable satellite broadband to areas “unserved or underserved by traditional Internet and communications options”. (It’s an Amazon initiative but is supposed to enjoy a cozy relationship with Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.) Project Kuiper began in 2018, two years after it received an FCC satellite license. The company plans to build an array of 3,236 satellites to provide seamless broadband coverage to rural users. Amazon hasn’t announced consumer pricing yet, but it hinted at budget-friendly plans, saying “affordability is a core tenet of Project Kuiper.” The company also intends to offer multiple speed/pricing tiers.

Kuiper’s satellites will be assembled in a new “state-of-the-art manufacturing facility” in Kirkland, Washington by the end of 2023. The new Florida installation will receive satellite shipments, making final preparations before their commercial deployment. Amazon says it has secured launches from Blue Origin, Arianespace and the United Launch Alliance (ULA). Most of the units will be deployed from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida near the new processing facility.

Amazon touts Project Kuiper’s anticipated job creation. It added that more than 1,400 people are already working on it, and the company expects the initiative to eventually support thousands of suppliers and high-skilled jobs – particularly in Alabama, Florida and Colorado.