Amazon’s Project Kuiper, an initiative to deploy a network of satellites in low-Earth orbit to provide internet connectivity, is encountering challenges in scaling up its production, as reported by Bloomberg on Wednesday.
The project, which aims to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink, has completed only a few dozen satellites thus far. To meet a government mandate, which requires launching 1,600 satellites by next summer, the project reportedly needs to significantly increase its production rate.
Project Kuiper is currently lagging behind Starlink, which has approximately 8,000 satellites in orbit and serves over 5 million customers, according to the report.
In addition to production delays, Project Kuiper faces difficulties in securing launches due to common rocket launch delays in the space industry. A scheduled launch earlier this month was postponed due to weather conditions and has been rescheduled for next week.
