Amazon has opened a $140 million payload processing facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for Project Kuiper, its low Earth orbit satellite internet network. The 100,000‑square‑foot site prepares satellites for launches, supporting up to three simultaneous launch campaigns and processing more than 100 satellites monthly. It became operational in April, in time to support the first Kuiper satellite mission and subsequent launches with SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA).
Project Kuiper also operates a satellite factory in Kirkland, Washington, capable of producing up to five satellites per day. After production and testing, satellites are shipped to the Florida facility, where they undergo electrical checks, battery charging, propellant loading using krypton gas, integration with dispenser systems, and encapsulation inside rocket fairings. This process streamlines the transition from factory to launch pad, facilitating frequent, large‑batch launches of dozens of satellites at once on rockets from multiple providers, including Atlas V, Vulcan, New Glenn, and Falcon 9.
The project has so far completed three missions within three months, advancing toward service delivery by this year. A $19.5 million secondary support facility is under construction to expand satellite processing and storage capacity. The operations have also created over 130 jobs on Florida’s Space Coast since 2024 and contribute to a wider economic impact through launch contracts and shared infrastructure investments with ULA. Project Kuiper aims to provide high‑speed, low‑latency broadband to underserved communities worldwide, with service expected to begin in 2025.
