Amazon will open 172,000-square-foot Kuiper internet satellite factory

Amazon said connected Thursday it volition unfastened a caller works successful a Seattle suburb to physique satellites for Project Kuiper.

Project Kuiper, unveiled successful 2019, is Amazon's program to physique a web of 3,236 satellites successful debased Earth orbit to supply high-speed broadband internet. Amazon notched a cardinal milestone in 2020 erstwhile the Federal Communications Commission authorized the outer net system.

In bid to conscionable its people of getting 3,000-plus satellites into orbit, Amazon volition request to physique 1 to 3 satellites "every azygous day, possibly adjacent a small much than that," Amazon devices main Dave Limp said successful an interrogation with The Washington Post connected Thursday.

"We person to physique the manufacturing capabilities that looks much similar user electronics oregon automobiles and little similar the accepted abstraction industry," Limp said.

Although Amazon has not said erstwhile the Kuiper motorboat run volition begin, FCC rules necessitate the institution to deploy fractional of its planned satellites wrong six years – meaning astir 1,600 successful orbit by July 2026.

Amazon has said it plans to put much than $10 cardinal into gathering Project Kuiper, and it already has a 219,000-square-foot probe and improvement installation based successful Redmond, Washington. The Redmond tract has developed prototypes and assisted with commercialized outer production, "but to present connected our imaginativeness for the project, we request to run connected a overmuch larger scale," Amazon said.

The caller 172,000-square-foot mill volition beryllium located successful the adjacent metropolis of Kirkland, Washington. It's expected to make much than 200 jobs successful the Puget Sound region, the institution said.

The further works capableness volition alteration Amazon to participate the 2nd signifier of its manufacturing process, Limp said.

Since receiving FCC approval, Amazon has ramped up enactment connected its archetypal 2 prototype satellites, called KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2.

Amazon said successful Nov. 2021 that it hoped to motorboat those prototypes with ABL Space connected its RS1 rocket successful precocious 2022. But earlier this month, Amazon said United Launch Alliance would transportation the satellites connected their debut flight, delaying the motorboat to aboriginal adjacent year.

Limp said Thursday that Amazon has started integration and last assembly of its archetypal 2 prototype satellites, adding they "should beryllium done by the extremity of Q4."

WATCH: How Amazon's Project Kuiper is taking connected SpaceX's Starlink outer internet