Amazon launches Kuiper satellites to compete with Starlink

Amazon launches Kuiper satellites to compete with SpaceXs Starlink — An Atlas V rocket launched by United Launch Alliance lifts off with Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., April 28, 2025. Photo: Reuetsr

WASHINGTON,— Amazon.com Inc. launched the first operational satellites for its Project Kuiper broadband initiative on Monday, beginning its entry into the satellite internet market currently led by SpaceX’s Starlink.

A total of 27 satellites were sent into orbit at 7 p.m. EDT aboard an Atlas V rocket operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp.

The launch took place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida following a weather-related delay earlier in April.

The deployment marks the first step in Amazon’s plan to build a low-Earth orbit network of 3,236 satellites. Project Kuiper, a $10 billion investment, aims to deliver internet access to customers worldwide, particularly in underserved or remote locations.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has required Amazon to place at least 1,618 satellites in orbit by mid-2026. The company’s slow rollout may lead to a request for deadline extensions, according to analysts familiar with the project.

Initial signal acquisition and confirmation from the satellites are expected within days, Amazon stated. If confirmed, service could begin later this year. The company had earlier tested two prototype satellites in 2023, which were later de-orbited in early 2024.

Amazon has outlined plans for its user terminals, including a standard model roughly the size of an LP record and a compact version similar to a Kindle device. Both are expected to cost less than $400 per unit.

ULA may conduct up to five additional launches in 2025 to support Kuiper‘s deployment, according to ULA Chief Executive Tory Bruno.

Since 2019, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched over 8,000 Starlink satellites and now serves more than 5 million subscribers in 125 countries.

With both satellite manufacturing and launch capability in-house, SpaceX maintains a rapid deployment pace of at least one mission per week.

Amazon executives believe their background in consumer products and cloud services, such as AWS, could provide a competitive advantage.

“There’s demand,” said Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos. “This will be primarily a commercial system, but there will undoubtedly be defense applications.”

(With files from Reuters)