Amazon launches its constellation of internet satellites, Project Kuiper, to challenge SpaceX’s Starlink and bring broadband internet globally for consumers, businesses, and governments.
The first 27 satellites for Amazon‘s ‘Kuiper broadband internet constellation’ were launched into space from Florida, kicking off the long-delayed deployment of an internet from space network that will rival SpaceX‘s ‘Starlink‘.
Amazon Kuiper is a satellite constellation project developed by Amazon, aiming to provide low-latency internet connectivity worldwide.
The constellation will comprise thousands of small satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), offering global coverage and high-speed data transfer.
Amazon Kuiper aims to bridge the digital divide by providing internet access to underserved communities, with plans for launch starting in 2024.
Sitting atop an Atlas V rocket from the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint-venture United Launch Alliance, the batch of 27 satellites was lofted into space at 7pm EDT from the rocket company’s launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Bad weather scrubbed an initial launch attempt on 9 April.
Amazon‘s ‘Project Kuiper’ is a $10bn effort announced in 2019 to beam broadband internet globally for consumers, businesses, and governments. The company has positioned the service as a boon to rural areas where connectivity is sparse or nonexistent. However, its slower start means Amazon is likely to seek an extension from the US ‘Federal Communications Commission’ to deploy half its constellation, 1,618 satellites, by mid-2026.
Elon Musk‘s SpaceX, with a unique edge as both a satellite operator and launch company with its reusable Falcon 9, has put more than 8,000 Starlink satellites in orbit since 2019. Its deployment pace has hastened to at least one Starlink mission a week, each rocket with roughly two dozen satellites on board to expand the network’s bandwidth and replace outdated satellites.
SpaceX's Starlink is a satellite internet constellation project aiming to provide global internet connectivity.
The system consists of thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit, each equipped with user terminals and communication equipment.
Starlink aims to offer high-speed, low-latency internet access worldwide, bridging the digital divide.
The first batch of 60 satellites was launched in May 2019, marking a significant step towards achieving this goal.
That quick pace has helped Musk’s company amass more than 5 million internet users across 125 countries, upend the global satellite communications market, and woo military and intelligence agencies that have sought to use Starlink and its manufacturing line for sensitive national security programs.
Amazon executive chair Jeff Bezos has voiced confidence that ‘Kuiper can compete with Starlink’ , telling Reuters in a January interview ‘there’s insatiable demand’ for internet. He added, ‘There’s room for lots of winners there. I predict Starlink will continue to be successful, and I predict Kuiper will be successful as well.’ The company expects to make tens of millions of the devices for under $400 each.
Elon Musk's SpaceX is developing the Starlink constellation, aiming to provide global internet connectivity.
Amazon's 'Kuiper project' , led by Jeff Bezos, also seeks to offer satellite-based internet services.
Both constellations feature thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites, but they differ in their technical specifications and business models.
Starlink focuses on high-speed internet for remote areas, while Kuiper targets a broader range of applications, including IoT and 5G networks.
The two projects have raised concerns about space debris and the impact on astronomy.
Amazon in 2023 revealed its Kuiper consumer terminals, an LP vinyl record-sized antenna that communicates with Kuiper satellites overhead, as well as a smaller terminal whose size it compares to its e-book Kindle device. The company booked 83 rocket launches from ULA, France’s Arianespace, and Bezos’s space company, Blue Origin, snagging the industry’s biggest-ever launch deal as it prepared to begin Kuiper deployment.
Hours or possibly days after the launch, Amazon is expected to publicly confirm initial contact with all of the satellites from its mission operations center in Redmond, Washington. If all goes as planned, the company said it expects to ‘begin delivering service to customers later this year.’ ULA could launch up to five more Kuiper missions this year, the ULA CEO, Tory Bruno, told Reuters in an interview this month.
Amazon‘s ‘Project Kuiper’ is an ambitious foray into space, with a late start in a market dominated by SpaceX. However, Amazon executives see the company’s deep consumer product experience and established cloud computing business that Kuiper will connect with as an edge over Starlink.
- theguardian.com | Amazon takes on Musk’s Starlink with launch of first internet satellites
