The U.K. Ministry of Defence has awarded Amazon a contract worth $830,000 to provide consultancy services on advanced space-based communication systems, The Telegraph reported Sunday. The agreement requires Amazon to explore the potential use of its Project Kuiper satellites to create a new communication network among military, government and commercial spacecraft.
The initiative, considered Amazon’s first military contract in the U.K., was presented to the U.K. Space Command. It follows a meeting between Project Kuiper executives and the former head of the command, Air Marshal Paul Godfrey, in 2024. The report also noted that Godfrey met with executives from Blue Origin, one of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos‘ investments, which aims to compete with SpaceX on space launch projects.
AWS Presence in the UK
Amazon’s current operations in the U.K. primarily focus on Amazon Web Services and its internet data and storage solutions. Recently, AWS received an Office of Communications license to offer satellite-based broadband services in Britain. In January, the AWS UK Cyber Education Grant Program was launched to improve cybersecurity capabilities in U.K. educational institutions.
Project Kuiper aims to compete with Starlink with its broadband network, which is made up of 7,000 satellites in low Earth orbit and provides internet connectivity to consumers. The first test satellites for Kuiper’s broadband network were launched in October 2023.
In August, Amazon announced plans for a new $19.5 million facility at Kennedy Space Center to expand Project Kuiper’s operations and support the full-scale deployment of its satellite constellation. The structure will be built next to a $120 million satellite processing facility that began construction in July 2023, bringing the total investment in the site to approximately $140 million.