News
Amazon’s satellite arm, Project Kuiper, has secured a deal with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) worth £670,000
The consultancy deal will see Amazon study the potential use of “translator” satellites to facilitate communications between military, government, and private satellites as well as between allied nations.
This technology, which is also being explored by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), aims to improve communication between military, government, and private satellites, as well as between allied nations.
Currently, satellite networks are typically limited to communication within the same network. As such, Amazon suggests it could provide an intermediary layer, allowing military satellites communicate with their non-military counterparts without compromising security.
According to a previous article in The Telegraph, senior Project Kuiper executives met with British defence officials back in February, including Air Marshall Paul Godfrey, head of the UK Space Command at the time.
Just last month, Kuiper confirmed it is preparing to launch a satellite broadband services in the UK to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink, with the launch of more than more than 3,200 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, which will deliver high-speed broadband to underserved areas around the world. Commercial satellites are set to be launched as early as this year.
Amazon already works closely with the UK government, with Amazon Web Services a main supplier of secure internet storage.
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