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Amazon has officially joined the race to build massive satellite constellations that can cover the globe with internet connectivity – a move that puts the tech company in direct competition with SpaceX and its Starlink system.
The first two prototype satellites for Amazon’s network, called Project Kuiper, were launched aboard a United Launch Alliance rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 2:06 p.m. ET on Friday.
“We have conducted extensive testing here in our laboratory and have a high level of confidence in our satellite design, but there is no substitute for in-orbit testing,” Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology at Project Kuiper, said in a statement. “This is the first time Amazon has launched satellites, and we will learn an incredible amount no matter how the mission unfolds.”
If successful, the mission could lead Amazon to launch hundreds more satellites into orbit, eventually building a network of more than 3,200 satellites that work together to beam internet connections to the ground.
It is the same business model as Starlink, the SpaceX constellation that has been growing rapidly since 2019. SpaceX already has more than 4,500 active Starlink satellites in orbit and offers commercial and private services to most of the Americas, Europe and Australia.
From United Launch Alliance
The Atlas V rocket carrying Amazon’s prototype satellite for Project Kuiper lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The space industry is in the midst of a revolution. Until relatively recently, most space-based telecommunications services were provided by large, expensive satellites in geosynchronous orbit thousands of kilometers from Earth. The downside to this space-based internet strategy was that the extreme distance of the satellites resulted in frustrating lag times.
Now companies like SpaceX, OneWeb and Amazon are trying to bring things closer to home.
Even before these companies began building their services, the satellite industry dreamed of bringing high-speed, space-based Internet directly to consumers. There were several such efforts in the 1990s that either resulted in bankruptcy or forced business owners to change their plans when costs exceeded returns.
Cheaper satellites and lower launch costs have led to the emergence of “megaconstellations” in low Earth orbit (LEO), less than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) above Earth. Unlike geostationary orbit, which allows satellites to remain stationary over the same area of the Earth and broadcast uninterrupted service to a specific area, satellites in LEO fly by at high speed. That’s why this approach requires thousands of satellites working together to provide connectivity to the planet.
Such widespread high-speed Internet access could be revolutionary. According to United Nations statistics, as of 2021, nearly three billion people worldwide still lacked basic internet access. That’s because more common forms of internet service, such as underground fiber optic cables, have not yet reached certain areas of the world.
SpaceX is well ahead of the competition in expanding its service, and its past efforts have occasionally plunged the company into geopolitical controversy.
The company notably suffered a significant setback in late 2022 and early 2023 for preventing Ukrainian troops on the front lines of the war with Russia from accessing Starlink services that were critical to Ukraine’s military operations. (The company later changed course and SpaceX founder Elon Musk discussed the Ukraine controversy in a recent book.)
It’s possible that Amazon’s Project Kuiper constellation could become part of that conversation – given similar geopolitical pressures – if the network proves successful.
“I’m also curious if Amazon is planning dual-use capabilities where government/defense will be a key customer. This could lead to Kuiper being targeted like Starlink in Ukraine,” Gregory Falco, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell University, said in a statement.
Despite promises of a global revolution in Internet access, the massive satellite mega-constellations required to transmit the Internet around the globe remain controversial.
There are already thousands of pieces of space junk in low-Earth orbit. And the more objects there are in space, the more likely catastrophic collisions are to occur, exacerbating the problem.
The Federal Communications Commission, which approves space-based telecommunications services, recently began improving its guidelines for containing space debris.
For its part, the satellite industry has largely committed to adhering to recommended best practices, including a commitment to deorbiting satellites after missions are completed.
In a May blog post, Amazon previously laid out its sustainability plans, which include the maneuverability of its satellites in orbit.
Amazon also promised to safely deorbit the first two test satellites at the end of their mission.
Separately, astronomers have also repeatedly raised concerns about the impact that all these satellites in low Earth orbits have on the night sky, warning that these man-made objects could interfere with and distort telescope observations and complicate ongoing research.
Amazon addressed these concerns in a statement to CNN, saying one of the two prototype satellites launched Friday will test anti-reflection technology to mitigate telescope interference. According to Amazon spokesman Brecke Boyd, the company has also consulted with astronomers from organizations such as the National Science Foundation.
SpaceX has made similar commitments.
It remains to be seen how well Project Kuiper will compete with SpaceX’s Starlink. And although Starlink already has more than a million customers, documents recently obtained by the Wall Street Journal showed that the SpaceX mega-constellation has not been as successful as originally predicted.
As for consumer pricing, one can purchase a Starlink user terminal for a home for about $600 plus the cost of monthly service.
Amazon has said it plans to make Project Kuiper terminals for just about $400 per device, although the company has not yet started demonstrating or selling the terminals. The company has not disclosed a price for monthly Kuiper services.
SpaceX had the clear advantage of using its own Falcon 9 rockets to launch batches of Starlink satellites into orbit.
Amazon doesn’t have its own rockets. And while Jeff Bezos-founded rocket company Blue Origin is working on a rocket that can reach orbit, the project is years behind schedule and has no clear price tag.
Currently, Kuiper satellites are being launched using rockets built by United Launch Alliance, a close partner of Blue Origin.