Amazon is determined to launch its own constellation of artificial satellites beyond Earth to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network. Known as Project Kuiper, the goal is to offer high-speed, low-cost internet in the future. During a meeting with international journalists at its headquarters in the United States (only two from the Pau-Brasil were present), it was possible to take a closer look at the antennas that will be part of this network.
The similarity between the technology used by Amazon and SpaceX is remarkable: both rely on many small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), which have the potential to provide communications worldwide, including in remote areas.
While Amazon plans to launch 3,236 of these devices in the coming years, Elon Musk's company plans to have a total of 4,425 satellites in orbit by 2024 and increase this number to 12,000 by 2027.
Amazon's plan to compete with Starlink, the company presented three different antenna designs that may change before launch. The idea is to meet the customer's needs at the lowest possible cost. The options include a standard antenna, a smaller, ultra-compact antenna that offers speeds of up to 100 Mbps, and a large, fixed antenna that can reach up to 1 Gbps for commercial and government customers.
All of the antennas have a bright white plastic surface and are powered by a microchip called Prometheus, which will also be used in the satellites. The standard antenna can provide a connection of up to 400 Mbps.
The company began working on this antenna in 2018.