SpaceX’s Starlink rival company, Amazon, announced the launch of the first phase of its Project Kuiper internet network, consisting of 27 satellites. The company will be launching the Kuiper Atlas 1 mission on April 9 at noon EDT (1600 GMT) from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. About this promising mission, the vice president of the company, Rajeev Badyal stated 

“We’ve done extensive testing on the ground to prepare for this first mission, but there are some things you can only learn in flight, and this will be the first time we’ve flown our final satellite design and the first time we’ve deployed so many satellites at once,”

Notably, two successful prototype test satellites were launched in 2023 by the company. KupierSat-1 and KupierSat-2 were deployed in low-Earth orbit with a 100% success rate. 

Co-Partners 

In 2022, Amazon signed a multi-launch deal with United Launch Alliance and Lockheed Martin for this project. Through this mission, Amazon will deploy a mesh-like network of 3,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit. It aims to provide high-speed internet globally. 

The satellite networking company booked 83 launches from ULA, Arianespace and Blue Origin. 

Project Kuiper 

In 2019, Amazon announced Project Kuiper with an investment of $10 billion. A team of engineers were hired who were previously fired by Starlink over a disagreement about where the satellites were developed and tested. 

Rigorous Competition

Satellite-based internet networking is a growing and intensive market. Elon Musk’s Starlink has already launched 8,000 satellites in space and captured five million internet users across 125 countries. It has recently acquired licenses from Pakistan and Bangladesh to install its setup. However, Amazon has an edge over Starlink due to its web services business and consumer products. Additionally, the company can attract users through mass-manufacturing consumer terminals and mini antennas that can connect with Kuiper satellites. 

Other satellite network companies, including Hughesnet and Viasat, also give tough competition due to their reliable speeds and unlimited data plans, respectively. However, Amazon also claims to bring fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world.