Amazon's Satellite Internet Network Set for First Launch

Amazon will launch 27 Kuiper satellites into low Earth orbit

Amazon is gearing up to launch 27 Kuiper satellites into low Earth orbit as part of its ambitious Project Kuiper, which aims to provide high-speed, low-latency internet worldwide.

Project Kuiper will deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to virtually any location on the planet, and Amazon expects to begin delivering service to customers later this year.

The launch, scheduled for April 9, will take place aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

This marks a major step in Amazon's plan to deploy over 3,200 satellites, competing directly with SpaceX's Starlink, which already has more than 7,000 satellites in orbit. Amazon has secured 80 launch missions with partners like Arianespace, Blue Origin, and even SpaceX to build out its constellation.

To connect to Kuiper’s network, users will need specialized terminal antennas, with Amazon’s smallest dish offering speeds up to 100 Mbps, while larger models will provide speeds up to 1 Gbps.

Rajeev Badyal, vice president of Project Kuiper, said, "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."

“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, and 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. No matter how the mission unfolds, this is just the start of our journey, and we have all the pieces in place to learn and adapt as we prepare to launch again and again over the coming years.”, said Badyal.

Over the next few years, Kuiper and ULA teams will conduct seven more Atlas V launches and 38 launches on ULA’s larger Vulcan Centaur rocket. An additional 30-plus launches are planned across our other launch providers: Arianespace, Blue Origin, and SpaceX.