Photo credit: AP PHOTO / PHELAN M. EBENHAC
Newly discovered filings with the International Telecommunications Union show that Amazon is planning to launch 3,236 satellites into low Earth orbit with the goal of providing affordable broadband internet around the world. “Project Kuiper is a new initiative to launch a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites that will provide low-latency, high-speed broadband connectivity to un-served and under-served communities around the world. This is a long-term project that envisions serving tens of millions of people who lack basic access to broadband internet. We look forward to partnering on this initiative with companies that share this common vision,” said the company to USA Today. Read more for a video news report and additional information.
“The Kuiper name seems to be after Gerard Kuiper, a Dutch-born astronomer who in 1951 suggested that some comets originate from a region outside Neptune, an area now known as the Kuiper Belt. It is unclear if Blue Origin will be providing the rockets behind Project Kuiper,” according to USA Today.
