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Amazon.com, Inc AMZN said Wednesday that satellites for its Project Kuiper internet program will be launched by the new Vulcan rocket in early 2023.
What Happened: The Jeff Bezos-founded company said in a statement that its first two satellites — Kuipersat-1 and Kuipersat-2 — will be launched on the maiden flight of the United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) new Vulcan Centaur rocket early next year.
Amazon said ULA is scheduled to provide 47 launches for its satellite constellation, and using the Centaur would give it “practical experience” ahead of those launches.
The first mission will be launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Amazon did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment on the development.
See Also: How To Buy Amazon (AMZN) Shares
Why It Matters: Amazon said it has secured up to 92 launches with ULA, Arianespace, and Blue Origin to deploy its constellation of 3,236 satellites.
The company said it will retain two launches with ABL Space Systems, which was originally chosen to carry its two prototype satellites.
In April, the company had said its two prototype missions would be launched later in 2022 on ABL’s RS1 rocket.
ABL President Dan Piemont said the company finished work on a custom Project Kuiper spacecraft adapter earlier in the year, reported CNBC.
Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk-led SpaceX already has Starlink broadband internet service with standard download speeds between 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps and a premium version where speeds range between 150-500 Mbps.
Price Action: On Wednesday, Amazon shares closed 0.6% higher at $112.90 in the regular session and gained 0.1% in extended trading, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Read Next: Elon Musk Thinks This Starlink Product Needs Re-Branding As It Clocks 100K Customers
Photo courtesy: Amazon
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Image and article originally from www.benzinga.com. Read the original article here.