In a seemingly end for Facebook’s plans for satellite internet, the team was acquired by another tech giant Amazon. The satellite internet development plans were actively done by many companies including SpaceX, Amazon, SoftBank and Facebook. But according to a recent report by The Information Facebook has now ended its plan for the same as they had sold its team to Amazon.
This is a big step for Amazon as they plan to go forward with Project Kuiper and keep up with SpaceX’s Starlink broadband constellation. Project Kuiper aims at providing low-latency, high-speed broadband connectivity to users all over the world. It plans to have a 3,236-satellite constellation in orbit by 2029 and needs to finish half the work by 2026. It also needs to establish 12 ground stations around the world for the flow of data to and from the satellites.
The $10 billion project has recently received FAA approval. The company plan to use United Launch Alliance’s ultra-reliable Atlas V rocket for the initial satellite launches. They have started actively hiring for Project Kuiper with almost 500 positions filled recently and more than 200 open options are created.
Facebook has given up its satellite internet plans and is planning to focus on terrestrial projects, it seems. They have invested in subsea and terrestrial fiber and also in projects like ExpressWiFi a wireless service.
