Adapted by:
Matías S. Zavia
WriterAerospace and energy industries journalist at Xataka.
Karen Alfaro
WriterCommunications professional with a decade of experience as a copywriter, proofreader, and editor. As a travel and science journalist, I've collaborated with several print and digital outlets around the world. I'm passionate about culture, music, food, history, and innovative technologies.
Earlier this week, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral carrying the first 27 operational satellites in Amazon’s Kuiper constellation. Starlink finally has company.
An ambitious competitor. Project Kuiper began in 2018, a year before SpaceX launched the first 60 satellites of its Starlink constellation, which provides broadband satellite internet. But until now, Amazon had only launched two test satellites while waiting for the availability of ULA’s Vulcan and Blue Origin’s New Glenn rockets.
The tech giant has finally started deploying its initial constellation of 3,232 satellites in low-Earth orbit (between 366 and 390 miles) to provide low-latency connections in places where terrestrial networks can’t reach or remain inadequate. The service will offer 100 Mbps, 400 Mbps and up to 1 Gbps speed plans when available.
Challenges. Although this launch marks the operational start of Kuiper, Amazon still faces several challenges. Chief among them is timing: The project is about a year behind schedule, and its FCC license requires it to have half of the constellation—1,618 satellites—in orbit by July 2026. That deadline seems difficult to meet without an extension, given that the company doesn’t manufacture its own rockets like SpaceX.
Kuiper rockets. While Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns Blue Origin—and there are, shall we say, certain synergies between the two companies, as well as a well-known feud with Tesla CEO Elon Musk—its New Glenn orbital rocket has only flown once and has yet to prove its landing capability. Reusability has been central to Starlink’s success: the Falcon 9 rocket, which SpaceX partially refurbishes, has launched more than 8,000 Starlink satellites in six years.
Amazon’s constellation depends so heavily on third parties that in 2022, the company made the “largest commercial launch vehicle acquisition in history.” It has contracts with ULA alone to launch an additional seven Atlas Vs and up to 38 Vulcans. It also holds agreements with ArianeGroup to use the European Ariane 6 rocket and, of course, with Blue Origin to use the New Glenn—the only one of the four launchers designed for landing.
China and Europe are going their ways. Despite the difficulties, Kuiper stands as the first Starlink competitor with the financial muscle to match SpaceX—assuming Amazon is willing to play the long game.
In Europe, a commercial constellation is advancing but in a different league. Eutelsat’s OneWeb operates a constellation of about 630 low-Earth orbit satellites. Still, it focuses primarily on B2B and government customers, and its satellite density remains far lower than Starlink’s.
China is also taking its own approach by deploying mega-constellations that could eventually challenge Starlink and Amazon. SpaceSail already has satellites in orbit and plans to deploy 648 by 2025, with a goal of 15,000 by 2030. It could offer services up to 30% cheaper than Starlink in markets like Brazil. Other Chinese projects, such as Honghu 3 and Guowang, are joining this price war—adding up to tens of thousands of satellites that will soon fly nonstop across the night sky.
Image | United Launch Alliance
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