Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites passed a key test in space

Project Kuiper, an upcoming satellite internet provider from Amazon, successfully tested laser communication between its satellites. The announcement is a major milestone in Amazon’s path to catch up SpaceX’s Starlinkwhich already has about 2 million users in more than 60 countries.

According to Amazon, the prototype satellites KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 could send and receive data at up to 100 Gbps, which is much higher than standard rresidential internet data transfer speed. The testing was done in November.

This is the latest major announcement from the Kuiper team to follow tests of the first prototype satellites, which launched on October 6 and confirmed the network’s initial functionality. The system, called an optical intersatellite link, allows satellites to transmit data directly between them, without downlinking to the ground.

Intersatellite links enable a satellite constellation to operate over areas lacking ground stations, from the open ocean to the high Arctic. It also helps reduce latency and improve network speed, and it can make data transfer more secure. Amazon claims its laser mesh network will move data about 30% faster than through terrestrial fiber optic cables.

Starlink has been using optical space lasers to transmit data at up to 100 Gbps since 2021.

A technical feat for Amazon

Although the use of laser links is not new, it is a technical achievement. Optical intersatellite links require a strong laser signal and precise tracking to make sure the laser is aligned with the other spacecraft—no small feat when spacecraft can travel at 15,000 miles per hour and be separated by more than 1,000 miles.

“With optical inter-satellite links across our satellite constellation, Project Kuiper will effectively function as a mesh network in space,” said Rajeev Badyal, Project Kuiper’s vice president of technology. “This system was designed entirely in-house to optimize for speed, cost and reliability, and the entire architecture worked flawlessly from the start.”

Project Kuiper plans to equip all of its satellites with multiple optical terminals so that they can communicate with multiple satellites simultaneously. It aims for full-scale deployment of the satellites in the first half of 2024 and to start customer service later in the year.