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Amazon to Loft 3,236 Satellites Using Boeing-Lockheed Boosters

Amazon to Loft 3,236 Satellites Using Boeing-Lockheed Boosters

Amazon.com Inc. has secured rockets from United Launch Alliance as part of the company’s effort to launch 3,236 satellites and provide low-cost broadband internet access to remote parts of the world.

The Atlas V rockets will be used for nine launches, the company said in a Monday blog post. Amazon has dedicated $10 billion to the satellite sideline, called Project Kuiper, and has more than 500 employees working on it, the company said. Terms weren’t disclosed.

“Launching a constellation on this scale is no small feat, and we will need multiple launch vehicles and launch partners to support our deployment schedule,” Amazon said.

Amazon to Loft 3,236 Satellites Using Boeing-Lockheed Boosters

The Atlas V vehicles have also been used in National Aeronautics and Space Administration missions. United Launch Alliance is a joint venture between Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. to provide launch services for satellites and space missions. The Project Kuiper missions will launch from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin space venture is developing its own rockets, including the much delayed New Glenn vehicle.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.