Kuiper Systems
Kuiper Systems LLC, also known as Project Kuiper, is a subsidiary of Amazon that was established in 2019 to deploy a large satellite internet constellation to provide low-latency broadband internet connectivity. The name Kuiper was a company codename for the project inspired by the outer Solar System's Kuiper belt.
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Satellite Internet access Space Telecommunications Defense industry |
| Founded | April 2019 |
| Founder | Jeff Bezos |
| Headquarters | Redmond, Washington, U.S. |
Number of locations | 2 |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Rajeev Badyal (president) |
| Products | Satellite based broadband internet access |
Number of employees | 1400 (July 2023) |
| Parent | Amazon |
| Website | Official website |
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted Amazon approval to deploy its planned constellation of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit. Deployment is planned in five phases, and internet service will begin once the first 578 satellites are launched. Under its granted FCC license, Amazon is required to launch and operate 50% of its satellites no later than July 30, 2026, and must launch and operate the remaining satellites no later than July 30, 2029.
Amazon announced signed launch contracts with United Launch Alliance, ArianeGroup and Blue Origin for a total of 92 rocket launches over the next decade in order to build out the entire constellation. The overall contract value for these launches is in excess of US$10 billion.
Two initial prototype satellites “KuiperSat-1” and “KuiperSat-2” launched on October 6, 2023 on a ULA Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.