Amazon to send internet satellites into space to rival Starlink

Amazon has released more details on Project Kuiper, its plan to establish a satellite internet service resembling Starlink.

The first launch of satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper project is set to ascend as soon as April 9, less than a week away.

27 satellites are planned to be deployed using an Atlas V rocket, which will blast off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

This is just the earliest beginnings of the system, which Amazon says will be made up of 3200 satellites in low-Earth orbit. And that’s just for the “first-generation” system that will provide home internet to, according to Amazon, “virtually any location on the planet”.

Amazon has more than 70 additional launches for Project Kuiper planned over the next few years, including sending satellites on rival SpaceX’s rockets.

We’ve designed some of the most advanced communications satellites ever built, and every launch is an opportunity to add more capacity and coverage to our network,” says Rajeev Badyal, Vice President of Project Kuiper.

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.”

Despite being quite early on in establishing the satellite array required for a functional satellite internet system, Amazon expects to be able to start offering the service “later this year.”

Project Kuiper was established in 2019

Project Kuiper vs Starlink

Rival Starlink currently has more than 7000 satellites in low-Earth orbit, and future plans include expanding that array to a count of 34,400.

Starlink has also become the leading provider of space junk, with the company’s satellites falling out of orbit “almost every day” according to Space.com.

Satellite internet services like those of Starlink and Project Kuiper require a satellite receiver, which currently starts at £300 for Starlink models.

Starlink charges £75 a month for home internet, which can provide up to 220Mbps typical internet speeds, according to the company’s website.

Satellite internet can often be a workable solution for homes not covered by optical fibre or 4G/5G mobile internet.

The company has also supplied Ukraine with internet connectivity since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

“My Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claimed on X. He has since claimed he does not plan to deactivate Ukraine’s access to the service.