Amazon steps into orbit with first satellite launch to rival Starlink
The online retail giant Amazon, owned by Jeff Bezos, launched its first satellites on Monday as part of a constellation that will ultimately include about 3,200 satellites. The goal is to provide 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, though a few years behind its rival, recently sent the first 27 satellites into orbit as part of the Kuiper constellation. They were launched using an Atlas V rocket, which is part of the United Launch Alliance (ULA), a group that 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 (between approximately 124 miles and 1,243 miles above Earth).
Amazon, as cited by the AFP agency, reported that unlike traditional satellite telecommunication services that rely on fewer, larger satellites positioned over 22,000 miles above Earth, both Musk's and Bezos's systems operate in lower orbits, enabling much faster data transmission.
Satellites communicating with Earth via small mobile antennas also provide coverage in areas where "cost, complexity, and geographical constraints" make it difficult to deliver internet access using traditional terrestrial solutions.
Amazon has invested over $10 billion in the project. The satellite network aims to ensure high-speed internet access in every part of the world, including remote areas, conflict zones, and regions affected by natural disasters.
As noted by AFP, the service is set to launch later this year. The cost remains unknown, but according to announcements, it should be "affordable."
