Amazon to build $120 million Kuiper satellite processing facility at KSC
Amazon has selected NASA's Kennedy Space Center for construction of a $120 million processing facility for its upcoming network of space-based internet satellites known as Kuiper.
The Launch and Landing Facility, managed by the state’s aerospace finance and development authority Space Florida, will host the 100,000-square-foot processing plant located near the runway where space shuttles used to land. It will include a 100-foot high bay for integrating the Kuiper internet satellites in the payload fairings of United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin rockets before liftoff from nearby pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. In total, it’s expected to stand just over 120 feet in height.
Amazon expects the total investment, including equipment, to run to $120 million and bring 50 new jobs to the Space Coast. Space Florida previously referred to this in public documents and meetings as "Project Comet."
Steve Metayer, vice president of Kuiper production operations, told FLORIDA TODAY the project will employ hundreds during the construction and ramp-up phase. That will lead to the roughly 50 full-time positions later on.
"There is no better place than Cape Canaveral (and Kennedy Space Center) to help us take Kuiper to the next phase,” Metayer said during a Friday event at the construction site. ”We believe these investments will have a big impact on the state of Florida, Amazon, and for our customers.”
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The Kuiper internet satellites themselves will be built in Kirkland, Washington, before transport to KSC. The new facility will then receive the shipments, prepare the satellites, and connect them to customized dispensers that will deploy them in orbit. From there, they'll be encapsulated in the protective fairings of ULA's Vulcan and Atlas V, as well as Blue's New Glenn rockets.
Amazon has so far secured 83 launches across ULA, Blue Origin, and European launcher Arianespace to deploy its constellation. Manufacturing of the satellites is slated to begin before the end of this year, but timing of the first launch has not yet been made public. Amazon's long-term goal, however, is to deploy half of the network's 3,236 satellites by July of 2026.
"We have let the aerospace sector know that Florida is the place to come to get results and see their ideas take off. We are the indisputable launch capital of the world," Florida Lieutenant Gov. Jeanette Nunez said Friday. "This constellation will provide broadband access to rural areas, which has been a priority of our administration."
"That's something very important for access and affordability for all our communities from Key West to Pensacola. Additionally, this constellation has the potential to provide emergency management personnel, law enforcement officers, first responders, and military with life-saving tools to assist during critical moments such as response and recovery operations," Nunez said.
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Amazon is joining the equivalent of a space-based internet gold rush. SpaceX has so far launched roughly 5,000 of its Starlink internet satellites to low-Earth orbit, while OneWeb operates about 650. SpaceX targets all ranges of customers from residential to RVs to government, while OneWeb is more of an enterprise and maritime internet option.
That means Amazon's goal of eventually launching thousands of satellites directly competes with SpaceX's Starlink network. The company plans on offering three different kinds of customer terminals that will be used to receive space-based broadband. Pricing has not yet been announced, but SpaceX currently charges $120 a month for new customers.
"Since the early days of rocket launches and payload processing, decades of infrastructure and capital investment has been made, transforming Florida into a global center for the aerospace economy," said Frank DiBello, president and CEO of Space Florida. "We couldn’t be more thrilled that Project Kuiper chose Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility for this facility, and we look forward to being a part of their mission of global connectivity."
The satellite processing facility builds on Amazon's $25 billion investment in Florida since 2010. Founder Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company Blue Origin, which is preparing to launch its New Glenn rocket no earlier than late 2023, has also spend billions on investments at Launch Complex 36, a rocket factory just outside KSC, and general infrastructure upgrades.
The project also means big changes for ULA. Amazon's selection of the launch provider to take its satellites to orbit effectively doubles the company's flight cadence in the coming years. ULA is investing millions of dollars into Space Coast operations to prepare for Kuiper launches, which it expects to contribute to about 25 total launches a year by 2025.
For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Emre Kelly at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @EmreKelly.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Amazon to build $120 million satellite facility in Florida
