his Monday, the first 27 satellites from 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 be the competitor of SpaceX’s Starlink.
It is also worth noting the fact that the satellites are the first of 3,236 that Amazon plans to send into low-Earth orbit for Project Kuiper, a $10 billion effort that was made public in 2019 in order to beam broadband internet globally for customers, as well as businesses and governments and customers which have been on SpaceX’s Starlink businesses.
The United Launch Alliance joint venture with the Atlas V rocket from Boeing and Lockheed Martin, and the batch of 27 satellites, was sent to space at 7 p.m. EDT, the launch happening from the company’s launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It is also worth noting that an initial launch was planned on April 9th, yet the bad weather conditions have made it impossible.
Kuiper is Amazon’s biggest bet underway, opposing it against Starlink and global telecom providers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Even more so, the company has positioned itself as a boon to rural areas where the link is sparse or does not even exist.
The mission has been delayed more than a year, and Amazon is hoping that it could launch the inaugural batch in early 2024. The company also faced a deadline set by the US Federal Communications Commission to deploy half its constellation, 1,618 satellites, by the middle of 2026, yet the slower start could also mean that Amazon is likely to seek an extension.
After the launch, Amazon is expected to publicly confirm initial contact with all satellites that have been sent, and the message will be received at the mission operation center in Redmond, Washington. And, as a result, if the mission goes on the positive side, the company said it expects to “begin delivering service to customers later this year”.
Subscribe to our newsletter
In an interview for Reuters, earlier this year, Amazon Executive Chairman, Jeff Bezos, reported his confidence in Amazon’s possibility of competing with Starlink, as there is “there's insatiable demand" for internet.
He also 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," and that "It will be a primarily commercial system, but there will be defense uses for these LEO constellations, no doubt," referring to the low-Earth orbit.
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
