Amazon Kuiper to build satellite prep facility in Florida
Amazon will invest $120 million to build a satellite processing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as the company prepares to launch the first satellites for its Project Kuiper internet network, the tech giant announced Friday.
The facility will be built at the Launch and Landing Facility that was once where NASA landed Space Shuttle missions. The LLF is now leased and operated by Space Florida, which serves as the state's space economy development arm.
"I am thrilled that Amazon is the first major tenant to locate [at the LLF]," Frank DiBello, CEO of Space Florida, told CNBC. "It's a testament to the fact, though, that we view the whole state as an ecosystem supporting space."
Project Kuiper is Amazon's plan 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 processing facility will serve as one of the final steps before the satellites reach orbit, preparing them for launches on the rockets of the United Launch Alliance and Jeff Bezos' separately owned Blue Origin.
"We're going to finish construction at the end of 2024. We'll be processing our first production satellites through this facility in early 2025," Steve Metayer, Amazon's vice president of Kuiper production operations, told CNBC.
Last year, Amazon announced the biggest corporate rocket deal in the industry's history to launch its satellites. It has booked 77 launches – deals that included options for more when needed – from a variety of companies to deploy the satellites fast enough to meet regulatory requirements.
Source: CNBC
