Amazon launched 27 Kuiper satellites, marking the first internet-from-space network challenge to Elon Musk’s Starlink.
The launch was originally planned for April 9, but was canceled due to poor weather conditions.
Announcing the satellite mission in early April, Amazon said, “Project Kuiper is set to send its first full batch of satellites to space, marking an important step in its mission to deliver fast, reliable internet to customers and communities around the world.” The mission, called “KA-01” for Kuiper Atlas 1, will “launch on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, and deploy 27 satellites at an altitude of 280 miles (450 kilometers) above Earth,” the company explained.
Vice President of Project Kuiper Rajeev Badyal said in a statement at the time of the announcement, “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,” Badyal stated. “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.”
The project’s website states that the satellites are intended to provide “fast, reliable internet to customers around the world, including those in unserved and underserved communities.”
Kuiper’s rival, Starlink, has 7,135 satellites in orbit as of March 28.
