Starlink Rival ‘project Kuiper’ Rebrands To Amazon Leo

After respective successful launches this year, Project Kuiper has its charismatic name: Amazon Leo. It’s a motion to nan word Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), which refers to orbits astatine an altitude of 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) aliases less. That’s nan region wherever Amazon’s constellation of 153 satellites orbit. The original codification sanction referred to nan Kuiper Belt, an asteroid loop successful nan outer star strategy past Neptune. 

Amazon plans to motorboat complete 80 missions containing immoderate 3,000 spacecraft. Leo has had six launches truthful far, including 3 launches utilizing SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets pinch a full of 72 satellites connected board. Amazon’s main rival successful this abstraction is SpaceX’s Starlink, which recently launched its 10,000th satellite. 

Amazon is promising Leo will thief “extend fast, reliable net to those beyond nan scope of existing networks,” overmuch for illustration Starlink has attempted to complete nan past respective years. Starlink (and Amazon) whitethorn beryllium capable to execute that under nan correct circumstances, and addressing a deficiency of bully net successful galore areas is an admirable goal. However, launching tens of thousands of satellites into orbit could introduce immoderate awesome issues, for illustration an excessive magnitude of debris, accrued consequence of collisions successful orbit, and heightened threat for parented missions.