LOS ANGELES, April 29 (Xinhua) — Amazon launched the first batch of satellites for its “Project Kuiper” on Monday, marking a key step in the company’s efforts to expand global broadband access.
The satellites were launched aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the U.S. state of Florida at 7:01 p.m. Eastern Time.
Later, ULA confirmed successful rocket staging. The first stage of flight was completed with booster engine cutoff, followed by separation of the Atlas V’s common core booster.
The Centaur second stage systems remain in good shape as the stage continues to power toward orbit with the first satellites of Amazon’s Project Kuiper, according to ULA.
The mission, codenamed “KA-01,” is scheduled to deploy 27 satellites at an altitude of 450 kilometers above Earth, according to Amazon.
The mission represents the beginning of Amazon’s plan to deploy a constellation of over 3,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, aimed at delivering high-speed, low-latency internet access to customers and communities worldwide.
The launch was originally scheduled on April 9, but was scrubbed due to weather concerns.
