Satellite internet service is not a new idea. But it is only recently that thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit have created a market to provide Internet services to the entire world. Several private companies competed in this market, and the launch of a significant number of satellites was essential to provide a global satellite Internet service.
SpaceX and OneWeb were the first to launch satellites. SpaceX launches its Starlink satellites with its Falcon 9 rocket, while OneWeb launches its OneWeb satellites from Soyuz rockets in Russia. Another large company in the world wanted to join the satellite internet service but they had to be delayed for several years due to various reasons.
Amazon, the world’s second-richest man, is set to launch Jeep Bezos’ Kuiper Internet service satellite network. But development work on Bezos’ Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is not over yet. So they have to use other rockets for the original Kuiper launches. Using rockets from their main competitor, SpaceX, is not something that happens in the ordinary business world. So their focus was on the United Launch Alliance in the US and Arianespace in Europe.
Last year, Amazon bought nine Atlas V rockets, and ULA decided to end production of the Atlas V. That is to set the market for their latest Vulcan rocket. ULA has so far purchased 38 Vulcan rocket launches from Amazon. In addition, Arianespace bought 18 Ariane 6 rocket launches and Blue Origin acquired 12 New Glenn rocket launches.
In addition, they hope to purchase 15 more New Glenn rockets. Accordingly, Amazon has been awarded the contract for 83 other rocket launches, in addition to the Atlas V Rocket 9 that was originally contracted. This is the highest value set of contracts ever awarded in the commercial launch market.
The value of these contracts has not been disclosed by any company. But the average price of a Vulcan rocket is $ 112 million and an Ariane 6 rocket is $ 77 million. The selling price of the New Glenn rocket has not yet been announced, but experts in the field estimate it at $ 68 million. Accordingly, the total Kuiper launch cost estimate is close to $ 9 billion.
The Kuiper Satellite Network was approved on July 30, 2020 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which governs communications in the United States. Accordingly, they plan to launch 3,236 satellites 590, 610 and 630 km above sea level. The orbital inclination of these satellites is up to 42. That is, the Kuiper satellite network covers only the region between 42 latitudes and 42 latitudes south of the world.
A major change in the Kuiper satellite network is that in addition to providing direct Internet service to the User Terminal, it also provides services to telephone towers in remote areas. This will make it easier for people in the area to access the internet through 4G and 5G technology. This is easier than using a user terminal (the user terminal is the device that connects the antenna needed to connect to the Internet service provider satellite).
It will take more time to launch Kuiper satellites. So far, Starlink has launched 2,333 satellites and launched Internet services in 29 countries. OneWeb launches 428 satellites So OneWeb has decided to use its rival SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
In the future, satellite internet services will be a highly competitive market and with a number of service providers, it is to be hoped that quality service will be available at a lower cost.
