It is the project's first full batch of Internet connection satellites and will be launched by United Launch Alliance.

According to Project Kuiper their first-generation satellite system will put a total of 3,200 into orbit in the first constellation, using more than 80 launches to deploy them.

"We've done extensive testing on the ground to prepare for this first mission, but there are some things you can only learn in flight, and this will be the first time we've flown our final satellite design and the first time we've deployed so many satellites at once," said Project Kuiper's Rajeev Badyal in a statement.

The project's ultimate goal is to provide end-to-end connectivity that will deliver Internet service to virtually any location on Earth.

According to Project Kuiper, service will start for consumers later this year.

Amazon's Federal Communications Commission license for Project Kuiper requires half the satellite constellation to be deployed by July 2026. The remainder must be deployed by July 2029.

"No matter how the mission unfolds, this is just the start of our journey, and we have all the pieces in place to learn and adapt as we prepare to launch again and again over the coming years," Badyal's statement said.

Amazon said the satellites going into orbit April 9 are significantly upgraded from the two prototypes first launched in 2023.

The upgrades include better phased array antennas, solar arrays, processors, propulsion and optical inter-satellite links, according to Amazon.

The payload scheduled for the April 9 Atlas V rocket launch will be the heaviest that rocket has ever flown. It will require the most powerful configuration for the rocket, which includes five rocket boosters plus the main booster.

Seven more Atlas launches are planned for coming years in addition to 38 launches on the larger Vulcan Centaur rocket.

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