Project Kuiper is Amazon’s satellite internet initiative designed to provide broadband access to regions around the world that currently lack reliable connectivity. The system will use a constellation of over 3,200 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, positioned between 590 and 630 kilometers above Earth, to deliver internet service through a network of ground antennas and user terminals. The aim is to reach unserved and underserved populations, including individuals, schools, hospitals, businesses, and government agencies operating in remote or infrastructure-limited areas.

The project began development in 2018 and received FCC approval in 2020. Its first two prototype satellites were launched in October 2023. In April 2025, Amazon launched the first operational group of 27 Kuiper satellites aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket, marking the beginning of large-scale deployment. The FCC requires that at least 50% of the constellation (over 1,600 satellites) be launched by July 2026, with full deployment completed by July 2029.

Project Kuiper is managed by Amazon’s Devices and Services division. Satellites are manufactured in Kirkland, Washington, and launch integration is handled at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Amazon has secured a total of 92 rocket launches from United Launch Alliance (ULA), ArianeGroup, and Blue Origin, representing a combined investment of over $10 billion USD. Additionally, in December 2023, Amazon purchased three launches from SpaceX, which operates Starlink, a competing satellite internet constellation. These launch agreements form one of the largest commercial satellite deployment efforts to date.

Kuiper’s ground system includes gateway antennas and global networking to route data, while user terminals combine antennas and processors to receive service. Amazon has revealed three types of customer terminals, offering download speeds ranging from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps, depending on the model and intended use. While pricing has not yet been announced, the project is being developed with an emphasis on affordability and scalability.

Image courtesy of ULA.

New Glenn is named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. The rocket stands at roughly the height of a 30-story building and features a seven-meter payload fairing, enabling twice the volume of standard five-meter class commercial launch systems.

Specs

Height: 98 m (322 ft)

Diameter: 7 m (23 ft)

Stages: 2

Payload to low Earth orbit (LEO): 45,000 kg (99,000 lb)

Payload to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO): 13,600 kg (30,000 lb)

The fairing is large enough to hold three school buses. Its reusable first stage aims for a minimum of 25 missions and will land on a sea-based platform located roughly 620 miles (1,000 km) downrange. Reusability is integral to radically reducing cost-per-launch.

The vehicle is powered by seven of Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines, the most powerful liquid oxygen (LOX) / liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine ever flown. LNG is cleaner-burning and higher-performing than kerosene-based fuels.

Blue Origin has several New Glenn vehicles in production and a full customer manifest. Customers include NASA, Project Kuiper, Telesat, and Eutelsat, among others. Blue Origin is certifying New Glenn with the U.S. Space Force for the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program to meet emerging national security objectives.

Photo and caption courtesy of Blue Origin

Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) is located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station just nine miles (14 km) away from the rocket factory. Blue Origin invested more than $1 billion to rebuild the launch site from the ground up.

Completed in 2021, LC-36 is the first newly rebuilt launch complex since the 1960s.

The complex is home to New Glenn’s launch pad, vehicle integration, first stage refurbishment, propellant facilities, and environmental control center.

LC-36 is the former home of more than 140 Atlas II/III launches, including the Mariner, Pioneer, and Surveyor missions.

Courtesy of Blue Origin. Image courtesy of Jenny Hautmann for Supercluster.

Blue Origin's Jacklyn is a specialized landing platform designed to recover the first stage of the New Glenn rocket. Named after Jeff Bezos's mother, Jacklyn serves as an ocean-based droneship. Its purpose is to provide a safe landing location for the reusable first stage of New Glenn after it completes its role in launching payloads into space.

The Jacklyn droneship is equipped with systems to stabilize the rocket during recovery and transport it back to land for refurbishment.