Amazon is getting closer to being able to launch the broadband satellites from Project Kuiper. The Federal Communications Commission has now granted the business crucial approval that it required before it could formally launch 3,236 satellites into orbit and launch Kuiper’s satellite internet operations.
According to SpaceNews, Amazon received a first nod from the organisation in 2020. Thousands of Low Earth Orbit satellites may be launched with permission from the FCC as long as an updated orbital debris reduction strategy later receives regulatory approval.
The requirement the panel imposed on the corporation when it accepted its request back in 2020 is satisfied, the commission stated in the order (PDF). With this extra approval, Kuiper will be able to start setting up its constellation and provide consumers all around the world with high-speed internet connectivity.
The FCC will force Amazon to submit a semi-annual report “concerning the number of satellites launched and disposal reliability” as part of its amended orbital debris mitigation strategy. Amazon must also notify the FCC if it encounters a satellite disposal failure within a calendar year.
In addition, Project Kuiper must guarantee that it can deorbit its satellites after their seven-year mission is complete, fulfilling the commission’s demands. Decommissioned satellites must be removed from orbit to avoid collision with the International Space Station or other inhabited stations.
Late last year, Amazon disclosed that the first two Project Kuiper satellites would launch on the inaugural launch of the new Vulcan Centaur rocket from United Launch Alliance. The Vulcan Centaur is still undergoing testing, but if everything goes according to plan, it will take to the skies for the first time soon.
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