Update: Tuesday, October 10, 9:12 a.m. ET: United Launch Alliance launched the first two prototype satellites, KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2, on an Atlas V rocket on October 6, 2023.
Once among the star companies championing a deal to create a private successor to the International Space Station, talks between Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Sierra Space regarding the Orbital Reef project now appear to be souring.
An Amazon shareholder has filed a lawsuit against the company’s founder Jeff Bezos and its board of directors for allegedly exercising bad judgement and not acting in good faith when selecting the launch providers for Project Kuiper.
Amid time constraints and developmental delays with United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket, Amazon has chosen to deploy its Project Kuiper prototype satellites this fall using an Atlas V.
Amazon is building a facility in Florida for Project Kuiper, which aims to launch a projected 3,236 satellites into Earth’s low orbit. The company will build the $120 million facility at Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) at Kennedy Space Center.