Overview

• The Kuiper Atlas 1 mission, scheduled for April 9, will launch 27 satellites aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
• This marks the first deployment of Amazon's finalized satellite design, featuring advanced phased array antennas, optical inter-satellite links, and a unique coating to reduce visibility to astronomers.
• The mission will use the most powerful configuration of the Atlas V rocket to carry its heaviest-ever payload to an initial orbit of 280 miles, with satellites later ascending to 392 miles.
• Amazon aims to begin delivering high-speed internet services by the end of 2025, with regulatory deadlines requiring half of its 3,200-satellite constellation to be launched by mid-2026.
• Project Kuiper is Amazon's strategic push into the global satellite broadband market, challenging SpaceX's Starlink, which currently dominates with over 7,000 satellites and 5 million users.