On 16th July 2025, California (United States of America, USA)-based Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), led by Elon Musk, successfully launched 24 Kuiper broadband internet satellites for Amazon.com, Inc., Washington (USA), under the KF-01 (Kuiper Falcon 1) mission using its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA.
- This marks the third operational launch of Amazon’s Project Kuiper, aimed at providing global broadband internet through a planned constellation of over 3,200 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, bringing the total number of deployed Kuiper satellites to 78.
- The liftoff aligned with the 56th anniversary of the launch of the Apollo 11 mission, which was launched on July 16, 1969, marking the beginning of humanity’s first journey to the Moon.
Key Highlights:
i.Following the launch, all satellites were deployed successfully into a 465 kilometer (km) high orbit, with plans to raise them to around 630 km altitude for full operation.
ii.The satellites are managed by Kuiper’s mission control centre located in Redmond, Washington.
iii.SpaceX’s satellite internet arm, Starlink, currently operates around 8,000 LEO satellites and serves over 6 million users globally. In contrast, Amazon is in the early stages of deployment and aims to begin services by late 2025.
About Project Kuiper:
i.Project Kuiper, initiated by Amazon.com, Inc. in 2019, is a satellite broadband initiative aimed at bridging the global digital divide.
ii.The company holds a license from the USA Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deploy 3,236 satellites by 2029, with at least 1,600 satellites required to be in orbit by 30th July 2026.
iii.Amazon has signed contracts for up to 83 launches to deploy its satellite network. Launch partners include:
- United Launch Alliance (ULA)(USA) – 38 launches using Vulcan rockets
- Arianespace (France) – 18 launches using Ariane 6
- Blue Origin (USA) – 12 launches using New Glenn
- SpaceX (USA) – 3 launches using Falcon 9
iv.Amazon has committed over USD 10 billion (approx. Rs 83,000 crore) for Project Kuiper.
About Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX):
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Elon Reeve Musk
Headquarters – Texas, United States of America (USA)
Established – 2002
About Amazon.com, Inc.:
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Andrew R. Jassy
Headquarters – Washington, United States of America (USA)
Established – 1994
