by Caleb Henry — July 30, 2020
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on July 30 approved Amazon’s request to operate a constellation of roughly 3,200 internet satellites in low Earth orbit.
The FCC said Amazon has until July 30, 2026 to launch at least 50% of its satellites in order to maintain its authorization, and until July 30, 2029 to orbit the full constellation.
Amazon has not outlined a launch plan for Kuiper yet, and told the FCC its constellation is still being designed. The company said it anticipates launching Kuiper satellites in five waves and starting service once the first, comprised of 578 satellites, is in orbit.