Amazon is aiming to launch its first operational satellites today to provide speedy internet connections in remote regions, but it will still take some time to catch up with its main competitor, SpaceX’s Starlink
By Matthew Sparkes
9 April 2025
United Launch Alliance is due to send 27 Kuiper satellites into low Earth orbit as Amazon begins a full-scale deployment of its satellite internet network
Amazon
Amazon’s satellite internet division, Kuiper, is set to launch 27 satellites into orbit today – the first step in building a network that it hopes will soon rival Starlink, but does it have a shot? We dig into the situation.
What is Kuiper?
In short, Kuiper is – or will be – a network of thousands of satellites that beam internet traffic around the world. This would allow people in remote regions to access the internet even without local infrastructure.
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The idea is exactly the same as Starlink, the SpaceX-owned company that already provides such a service under the leadership of Elon Musk. Project Kuiper is a subsidiary of Amazon that was established in 2019 and is owned by a different billionaire: Jeff Bezos.
Amazon didn’t respond to New Scientist’s request for an interview, but the company has previously said that its satellites will travel at more than 27,000 kilometres per hour and circle Earth approximately every 90 minutes. To connect to the internet, customers will need to buy a small terminal and install it on a building’s roof.
When will it launch? And how can I watch it?
Kuiper is calling this first mission KA-01, for Kuiper Atlas 1, and it is scheduled for 7pm EDT on 9 April.