As part of Project Kuiper, tech company Amazon plans to deploy a network of satellites in orbit that use lasers to transmit information and provide Internet access. This is stated on the official blog Web site companies.
Kuiper satellites use infrared lasers to communicate with each other. Each device is equipped with several optical terminals that allow the creation of cross-communication channels, which increases the reliability of the network.
Amazon plans to launch a total of 3,236 devices. The technology will be able to work even in the middle of the ocean, where it is not possible to place ground-based base stations.
As the organization announced, prototypes of the KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 satellites transferred data at a speed of 100 gigabits per second over a distance of approximately 1000 kilometers during the entire test period.
“Light travels faster through space than fiber optics, meaning the Kuiper orbital laser network can transmit data approximately 30% faster than traveling the equivalent distance over terrestrial fiber optic cables,” Amazon said.
The company plans to begin testing the Kuiper network in the second half of 2024.
Previously in Russia announced About the intention to create a satellite constellation to provide Internet access.