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Amazon introduced Friday that it has bought three Falcon 9 rocket launches from SpaceX starting in mid-2025 to assist deploy the retail big’s community of Kuiper Web satellites.
In a press release, Amazon stated the SpaceX launches will present “further capability” to “complement current launch contracts to help Undertaking Kuiper’s satellite tv for pc deployment schedule.” SpaceX has its personal broadband satellite tv for pc fleet, with greater than 5,100 Starlink spacecraft at the moment in orbit, making it a competitor with Amazon.
Final yr, Amazon purchased up a lot of the Western world’s extra launch capability from everybody however SpaceX, securing 68 rocket flights from United Launch Alliance, Arianespace, and Blue Origin to deploy 1000’s of satellites for the Kuiper broadband community. Amazon beforehand contracted with ULA for 9 Atlas V launches to help the preliminary sequence of Kuiper launches, the primary of which lifted off in October with Amazon’s first two Kuiper prototype satellites. Extra Atlas Vs will begin launching operational Kuiper satellites subsequent yr.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the world’s most dependable launch automobile in lively service, was neglected of Amazon’s multibillion-dollar rocket buy. This led to a lawsuit filed in August by shareholders of a pension fund that features Amazon inventory. The go well with claims Amazon, its founder Jeff Bezos, and its board of administrators breached “their fiduciary obligation” and failed to contemplate SpaceX through the launch service procurement.
The Falcon 9 rocket is the one rocket with any openings in its launch schedule that might make up a shortfall from delays attributable to Amazon’s different launch suppliers. SpaceX has launched 88 Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy rockets to date this yr and goals to extend the launch cadence to at least one flight each 2.5 days in 2024. Most of those launches are for SpaceX’s personal Starlink Web community.
However the plaintiffs within the lawsuit allege that Amazon did not take into account the Falcon 9 rocket final yr attributable to an intense and private rivalry between Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder, and Bezos. That rivalry, it seems, has been eclipsed by the chilly actuality that Amazon wants some assist from SpaceX.
A deadline looms
In its first-generation structure, Amazon’s Kuiper community will consist of three,236 satellites flying in low-Earth orbit at an altitude of lower than 400 miles, offering broadband service to prospects throughout a lot of the populated world.
The corporate must deploy half of those satellites by July 2026, a deadline to take care of community authorization from the Federal Communications Fee. That may require a mean tempo of a minimum of two launches monthly from Amazon’s steady of launch service suppliers starting subsequent yr. Every launch will add a number of dozen operational Kuiper satellites on a single mission. Precise numbers will rely on the rocket’s raise capability.
Except for the Atlas V, which Amazon will lean on to launch its first batches of satellites, not one of the rockets wanted to deploy the Kuiper community have flown. Manufacturing of Atlas V rockets is winding down, and there aren’t any extra of these for Amazon to purchase.
The Vulcan rocket, contracted for 38 Kuiper launches, is scheduled to launch on its first test flight on December 24 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket, which Amazon plans to make use of 18 occasions, is scheduled for its inaugural launch in mid-2024. The New Glenn from Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is perhaps able to debut toward the end of 2024. Amazon has booked 12 New Glenn missions, with a contract choice for 15 extra.
Assuming all these rockets fly efficiently on their present schedules, ULA, Arianespace, and Blue Origin might want to quickly ramp up their launch charges to fulfill Amazon’s demand. Essentially the most strain can be on ULA with its Vulcan rocket.
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