Amazon’s New Internet Service Will Deliberately Destroy Its Two Test Satellites As It Gets Ready For Full Production

Last year Amazon successfully tested its new Internet service from space that will bring Internet to homes and businesses starting next year. To reach that goal, Amazon received FCC approval earlier this year to start testing up to 1,000 prototype dishes all around the United States. This will let Amazon begin mass testing as it prepares to launch satellites this year.

Now, after the successful test of its two satellites designed to offer high-speed internet from space, Amazon will now destroy its test satellites after they have finished their testing. This is all part of Amazon’s planned test to ensure that they can successfully destroy them by burning them up in the atmosphere to help avoid leaving space debris behind that could impact other satellites. The plan is to destroy all of its satellites within one year of them finishing their missions. This test will prove the plan to do this will work.

“Over the next several months, we will continue using the active propulsion systems onboard KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 to execute a series of controlled maneuvers. Combined with natural drag from the Earth’s atmosphere, those maneuvers will gradually lower satellites to an altitude of around 217 miles (350 kilometers), at which point atmospheric demise will follow. Throughout this process, we will continue to share the satellites’ movements and ephemeris data with other spaceflight operators and use active collision avoidance as needed to further reduce risk.” Amazon said in a statement on their website.

For years Amazon has hoped to launch an Internet service to reach the millions of Americans without high-speed Internet options from cable and fiber Internet.

Last month, Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy had given an update on the service in his letter to shareholders. “In October, we hit a major milestone in our journey to commercialize Project Kuiper when we launched two end-to-end prototype satellites into space, and successfully validated all key systems and sub-systems—rare in an initial launch like this. Kuiper is our low Earth orbit satellite initiative that aims to provide broadband connectivity to the 400-500 million households who don’t have it today (as well as governments and enterprises seeking better connectivity and performance in more remote areas) and is a very large revenue opportunity for Amazon. We’re on track to launch our first production satellites in 2024. We’ve still got a long way to go but are encouraged by our progress.”

Amazon’s new Internet service will reach both businesses and homes. Amazon will start testing this year with some businesses and hopes to have it rolling out in select areas next year to paying customers.

So now that Amazon is close to launching the service, what exactly do we know about it? What is the pricing, launch date, and more? Here is everything we know about Amazon’s new home Internet service.

Amazon’s Internet service will come in three speed options:.

Standard This standard version will have an 11″ square antenna that will offer speeds up to 400 Mbps down. This will be perfect for most households.

Pro If you need a lot of speed, Amazon has an 11″ by 30″ pro antenna that can offer speeds up to 1 Gbps. This will be perfect for companies or large households.

Portable If speed is not important and you want something you can easily travel with, look into Amazon’s ultra-portable version that is 7″ square and offers speeds up to 100 Mbps.

What can you expect from this service?

One of the big questions about Amazon’s new home Internet service has been the cost. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says he expects the new Internet service to offer a low price that will help it reach the 400 to 500 million households still without Internet.

Jassy was interviewed by CNBC’s Jim Cramer last month. In that interview, Jassy said, “I think we can charge a low price and still make good margins where it’s a good business for us. I actually am very bullish about that business.”

According to Bloomberg, a standard satellite dish from Amazon will cost under $400 to manufacture. This will help Amazon undercut the $599.99 cost that SpaceX charges for its standard Starlink kit. The standard satellite dish from Amazon promises speeds of up to 400 Mbps down.

Unfortunately, we still don’t know the monthly cost, but Amazon seems dedicated to being cheaper than SpaceX’s Starlink.

Amazon hopes to start limited testing in late 2024 and to slowly roll out the service in 2025. Like the Starlink rollout, look for the service to be offered in limited areas at first as Amazon moves to expand service in more areas.

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