/sci/ - Science & Math

Atlas V rocket completes on-target orbital delivery for Amazon,
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https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/10/first-two-satellites-for-amazons-broadband-megaconstellation-launch-today/
> The first two prototype satellites for Amazon's broadband network launched Friday from Florida, the first in a series of at least 77 rocket launches the retail giant has booked over the next six years to deploy a fleet of more than 3,200 spacecraft to rival SpaceX's Starlink system.
> SpaceX said last month its Starlink network, with more than 4,000 operational satellites, has surpassed 2 million active customers and is available on all seven continents. SpaceX continues to launch satellites, sometimes multiple times per week, to add capacity to the Starlink network. OneWeb, which recently merged with the French satellite company Eutelsat, has more than 600 satellites beaming broadband signals from orbit. The slightly higher altitude of OneWeb's satellites means that its network doesn't require as many spacecraft for global coverage.
> Amazon's Kuiper constellation will number 3,236 satellites, spread out in 98 orbital planes, or pathways, crisscrossing the planet at an average altitude of about 380 miles (610 kilometers). In its license application with the Federal Communications Commission, Amazon said the Kuiper satellites will fly in mid-inclination orbits, enabling Internet service for customers between 56 degrees north and south latitude.
> Amazon signed the largest commercial launch contract in history, snatching up rides on ULA's new Vulcan rocket, Blue Origin's New Glenn, and Arianespace's Ariane 6 launcher. All told, Amazon has purchased 77 launches: 38 Vulcan launches, plus nine flights on ULA's soon-to-retire Atlas V, 18 Ariane 6 rockets, and 12 New Glenn missions, with a contract option for 15 more. Each rocket will carry several dozen operational Kuiper satellites to space on a single mission.