Amazon challenges Starlink with launch of first Kuiper satellites
The online retail giant Amazon, owned by Jeff Bezos, launched its first satellites on Monday as part of a constellation that aims to eventually include about 3,200 satellites. The objective is to provide very high-speed satellite internet and compete with Elon Musk's Starlink network.
"The market for beaming high-speed internet to the ground from orbit is currently dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket company, which operates a similar service, Starlink. Starlink, with thousands of satellites in orbit and more launching nearly every week, already serves several million customers around the world," noted the New York Times.
Amazon has launched its first telecommunications satellites
Amazon, which is a few years behind its rival, just sent the first 27 satellites into orbit as part of the Kuiper constellation. They were launched into orbit by the Atlas V rocket, belonging to the United Launch Alliance (ULA) group, which includes Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
These satellites form the foundation of Project Kuiper—a framework expected to have enormous commercial, technological, and geopolitical significance. The ultimate plan is to deploy over 3,200 satellites in low Earth orbit (from about 200 kilometres to 2,000 kilometres above Earth).
Cited by the AFP agency, Amazon reported that unlike traditional satellite telecommunication services, which rely on fewer, larger satellites located over 35,000 kilometres above Earth, both Musk's and Bezos's systems operate in lower orbits, allowing for much faster data transmission.
Satellites communicating with Earth via small mobile antennas also allow coverage in areas where "cost, complexity, and geographical constraints" make it difficult to provide internet access using traditional terrestrial solutions.
Amazon has invested over $10 billion in the project. The satellite network is planned to ensure very high-speed internet access in every part of the Earth, including remote areas, conflict zones, and regions affected by natural disasters.
As noted by AFP, the service is set to launch later this year. Its cost remains unknown, but according to announcements, it should be "affordable."
