amazon announced that successfully carried out the first test of Project Kuiper, its satellite internet that will compete with Starlink. In a video published today, the technology company showed a connection with satellites that are already in orbit. Engineers made a purchase on Amazon, played a Prime Video movie, and video chatted with colleagues in another office.
Amazon staff connected to the Kuiper network made up of two satellites sent into space at the beginning of October. The Protoflight mission aims to collect data and analyze the performance of the end-to-end network. Today the technology company confirmed that the first tests were positive and shared the evidence with the world.
The connection with KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 was limited to windows of between 30 and 120 seconds. Unlike Starlink, which has a constellation of more than three thousand satellites, Project Kuiper only has two prototypes in orbit. In accordance with an entry on the company blogeach test is designed to measure network performance as well as basic data transmission and reception functions.
In the first demonstration, the Kuiper team navigated the Amazon website, added a product to the cart and completed the purchase process. Later, a second attempt focused on measuring latency and the engineers logged into Prime Video and they played the movie A Million Miles Away in 4K. Finally, the team held a video call via Amazon Chime between two offices to check performance by sending and receiving data simultaneously.
After the tests, Amazon sees a promising future for Project Kuiper
Although the tests were brief, the results are promising. Amazon stated that the experience was unique to the Protoflight mission, as they only have two satellites in orbit.
“When we begin offering commercial service, there will always be a satellite within range of our customers, and our software-defined network will seamlessly transfer the data link from one satellite to the next as they pass overhead so our customers enjoy uninterrupted connectivity.”
Project Kuiper plans manufacture and deploy a total of 3,236 satellites over the next six years. Initial production will take place during the first half of 2024, followed by a beta testing phase. The technology giant confirmed that they already have 77 launches secured with Blue Origin and other providers to deploy their satellites in low Earth orbit.
As with Starlink, Users must install an antenna outdoors to connect to the Kuiper network. Amazon will offer three types of terminals, depending on the customer. The cheapest, focused on homes, measures 28 cm² and weighs less than 2 kg without the support. Those looking for mobility will be able to opt for a portable design that measures 18cm and weighs just 1kg, while governments or businesses will rely on a robust model that offers speeds of up to 1Gbps.
The Testing phase is scheduled for the second half of 2024 and will include Vodafone and Verizon customers in the United States. There are no concrete details about availability in other countries, although like Starlink, Project Kuiper’s goal is to bring the internet to the most remote places on the planet.