[Image: ULA / Facebook]
The battle for dominance of low-Earth orbit kicked off in earnest yesterday as the first 27 satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper broadband internet constellation were launched into space from Florida on Monday.
The first of many, the deployment of Amazon’s internet-from-space network hopes to rival SpaceX’s Starlink.
The satellites are the first of 3,236 that Amazon plans to send into space as part of the $10-billion effort unveiled in 2019 to beam broadband internet globally for consumers, businesses and governments – customers that SpaceX has courted for years with its powerful Starlink business.
The satellites were launched into space at 7 PM yesterday from the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Bad weather scrubbed an initial launch attempt on 9 April.
The Kuiper Project is Amazon’s boldest step yet into space and will put it into direct competition with Starlink and other US telecommunications giants, like AT&T and T-Mobile.
Amazon is expected to publicly confirm initial contact with all of the satellites from its mission operations centre in Redmond, Washington, within the next few days, and if all goes as planned, the company expects to “begin delivering service to customers later this year”.
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has voiced confidence that Kuiper can compete with Starlink, telling Reuters in a January interview that “there’s insatiable demand” for internet.
“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.”
Tech Central reports ULA could launch up to five more Kuiper missions this year, ULA CEO Tory Bruno said in an interview this month.
Amazon said in a 2020 FCC filing that it could begin service in some northern and southern regions at 578 satellites, with coverage expanding toward Earth’s equator as the company launches more satellites.
Amazon’s entry into the space industry is significant. While SpaceX has already launched over 8,000 satellites and amassed 5 million users, Amazon is positioning Project Kuiper as a “commercial and consumer-focused solution” with the backing of its vast consumer products and cloud infrastructure experience.
The company has also unveiled its consumer terminals, including antennas the size of a vinyl record and smaller terminals akin to its Kindle devices. These terminals are expected to be affordable, with prices under $400.
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Seems like Jeff’s been busy while Elon’s been DOGE-ing.
[Source: Tech Central]
