Amazingly SpaceX isn’t on the list
Amazon’s proposed broadband satellite constellation, Project Kuiper, has inched closer to making it into orbit, even if some of the rockets it intends to use have yet to take their first flights. On Tuesday Amazon announced deals with Arianespace, United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Blue Origin (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos‘ pet project) to launch the majority of its 3,236 Kuiper satellites into low Earth orbit. „It is the largest commercial procurement of launch vehicles in history,“ the web giant modestly proclaimed. The biz did not disclose timings, nor did it state how many of the Kuiper satellites would be riding on each rocket. However, it did say it had secured 18 Ariane 6 rockets as part of the initial agreement, „the largest we’ve ever signed,“ according to Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace. Another 38 launches will be on ULA’s Vulcan Centaur, a figure in addition to the existing nine Atlas V rockets already procured for Project Kuiper from the orbital biz.
