Amazon Will Build A $120 Million Satellite Prep Facility In Florida

(CTN News) – In preparation for the launch of its Project Kuiper internet network, Amazon will invest $120 million in building a satellite processing facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the company announced Friday.

There will be a facility built at the former Launch and Landing Facility where NASA landed Space Shuttle missions. The LLF is now operated by Space Florida, which is responsible for the development of the state’s space economy.

According to Frank DiBello, CEO of Space Florida, “I am delighted that Amazon will be the first major tenant at the LLF.” It is a testament to how the state views itself as a space ecosystem.

As part of the Kuiper project, Amazon plans to build a network of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit to provide high-speed internet access anywhere in the world.

The 100,000-square-foot facility will serve as one of the final steps before the satellites are launched by the United Launch Alliance and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.

Our goal is to complete construction by the end of 2024. Our first production satellites will be processed through this facility by early 2025,” Steve Metayer, Amazon’s vice president of Kuiper production operations, told CNBC.

The launch of Amazon’s satellites was announced last year as the largest corporate rocket deal in the history of the industry. There have been 77 launches booked – with options to book more when needed – from a variety of companies to meet regulatory requirements for deploying satellites quickly.

The company intends to launch its first two Kuiper prototype satellites within the next few months, but that depends on the readiness of the rocket that the spacecraft would be launched on.

According to Metayer, Amazon plans to fly the prototypes on the inaugural launch of ULA’s Vulcan rocket, which has been pushed back to the fourth quarter of this year.

It is true that Amazon “can work with” the new Vulcan timeline, but Metayer reports that the company is “looking at all options available to us in order to get the prototypes up as soon as possible.”

As far as Kuiper prototypes are concerned, they have already changed rides once before, moving from ABL’s RS1 rocket to Vulcan’s.

According to Amazon, Project Kuiper currently employs more than 1,400 individuals. In Redmond and Kirkland, the company’s main Kuiper facilities are located. Additional Amazon locations can be found in San Diego, Austin, Texas, New York City, and Washington, D.C.

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