Amazon competes with Starlink in satellite constellation

Amazon is set to launch its first batch of Project Kuiper satellites next week, marking a major milestone in its efforts to compete with billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink system.

Amazon said it plans to launch 27 satellites in its Kuiper Atlas 1 mission on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Center in Florida on the night of April 9. United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, will launch the satellites.

Amazon's statement said the satellites are an upgrade to a prototype satellite that was successfully tested on a mission in October 2023.

Project Kuiper aims to provide high-speed, low-latency Internet coverage to most locations on the planet and is expected to go live later this year.

Once completed, the system will consist of more than 3,200 advanced low-Earth orbit satellites, according to Amazon. The launch puts Amazon in direct competition with SpaceX’s Starlink and other satellite internet providers.

SpaceX launched its first satellite in 2019. It is by far the largest company in the satellite services space with more than 6,750 Starlink satellites in operation.

Previously, China planned to launch 13,000 satellites under the large-scale GuoWang satellite constellation project, while the European Union planned to launch 170 satellites under the Iris project. The US military's Space Development Agency also planned to launch 300-500 satellites./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/amazon-canh-tranh-chom-sao-ve-tinh-voi-starlink-post1024664.vnp