Jeff Bezos' Amazon To Launch Kuiper Internet Satellites On April 9, Taking On Elon Musk's Starlink

In a stride towards the initiation of its commercial service, Jeff Bezos‘ Amazon Inc. AMZN is set to launch its long-awaited Kuiper internet satellites on April 9.

What Happened: Amazon announced on Wednesday that the satellites will be launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, using United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket. The event will be telecast via live streaming on ULA’s website.

The launch is a critical phase in Amazon’s Project Kuiper, a $10 billion initiative launched in 2019 to provide broadband internet through a constellation of over 3,000 satellites. However, third-party analysts estimate the project could cost up to $20 billion.

Amazon successfully tested the service in October 2023 with two prototype satellites. The satellite launch was delayed because ULA prioritized two U.S. Space Force missions.

Vice President of Kuiper, 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.”

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Project Kuiper will rival other low Earth orbit satellite internet providers, such as Elon Musk‘s Starlink, SoftBank-backed OneWeb, and China’s SpaceSail.

Amazon must meet a Federal Communications Commission deadline to deploy half of its planned satellite constellation—1,618 satellites—by July 2026. To achieve this, the company has arranged more than 80 launches with rocket providers such as ULA, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and Blue Origin, founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.

Why It Matters: Amazon’s Project Kuiper is a significant venture in the global satellite communications market. The company plans to launch a network of more than 3,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit, creating a mesh-like system to deliver high-speed internet worldwide, competing with SpaceX’s Starlink.

In 2022, Amazon secured 83 rocket launches from ULA, France’s Arianespace, and Blue Origin, making it the largest launch agreement in the industry’s history as it geared up for Kuiper deployment. The company launched two prototype satellites in 2023, describing the tests as successful, reported Reuters.

Amazon lags behind SpaceX, which has launched ~8,000 Starlink satellites and gained 5 M+ users in 125 countries. However, Amazon’s expertise in web services and consumer products could help it attract Kuiper customers and scale production efficiently.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.