spacetoday.net: First Kuiper prototype satellites pass tests

Posted: Thu, Nov 23, 2023, 7:58 AM ET (1258 GMT)
Amazon says it is ready to move into full-scale production of its Project Kuiper satellites after completing in-orbit tests of two prototypes. KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 successfully demonstrated fiber-like speeds after launching to low Earth orbit last month, an Amazon executive said in an interview. Those tests were limited to contact windows lasting 30 to 120 seconds as the two satellites passed over a test site in McAllen, Texas. The company will continue to test the satellites over the next several months to see how their performance changes over time, then deorbit them within a year. Amazon expects to start launching the first of more than 3,200 production satellites in the first half of 2024, enabling beta services later that year with early partners that include Vodafone and Verizon.