Amazon’s Internet Satellites Run into Production Delays

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Amazon's Project Kuiper is an ambitious project
and could eventually be a serious competitor to

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Starlink, a satellite internet service from
SpaceX, but that's only if Amazon can start

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building its satellites a little faster.
According to Bloomberg,

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Project Kuiper has run into production delays.
It's on a government deadline to have about

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1600 satellites in orbit by next summer, but so
far it's only managed to churn out a few dozen

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of the spacecraft.
The company will need to quad.

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its production capacity if it still plans to
meet that deadline.

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Complicating matters further is Elon Musk, the
SpaceX CEO who runs one of Project Kuiper's

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biggest competitors in the Internet space race,
is also a top adviser to the White House.

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If Project Kuiper decides to ask the FCC for an
extension, Musk could potentially stand in the

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way.
Project Kuiper's delays are in part due to

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trouble securing enough rocket rides for its
satellites.

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But Amazon is also reportedly dealing with
faulty components from suppliers and the

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constraints of its own limited aerospace
manufacturing prowess.

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As the report points out, Amazon is building
its fancy satellites all on its own instead of

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seeking help from partners.
Amazon last year opened its new project Kuiper

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manufacturing hub in Washington, the 172,000
square foot factory,

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which is filled with a wide variety of custom
equipment.

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is designed to pump out 5 satellites per day,
but only if it reaches its peak capacity.

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Project Kuiper is scheduled to send 27
satellites into low Earth orbit later this

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month on one of ULA's Atlas rockets.
It's one of the heaviest payloads ULA has ever

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taken on, so the Atlas will be operating at its
most powerful configuration,

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which includes an extra 5 solid rocket boosters.
I'm Ben Munson,

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and this is manufacturing now.