Amazon Shoots for the Stars: Project Kuiper’s Satellites Launch Internet Ambitions into Orbit

Amazon has officially entered the satellite internet arena with the launch of its first operational satellites for Project Kuiper, the company’s ambitious plan to blanket the globe with broadband from space. On April 28, 2025, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carried 27 Kuiper satellites into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida—marking a pivotal moment in Amazon’s $10 billion bid to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink.

The goal? To deploy a constellation of over 3,200 satellites that will beam high-speed internet to underserved and remote parts of the world. While Amazon is a few laps behind Starlink—which already has over 7,000 satellites in orbit and millions of users—Project Kuiper is now picking up speed, moving from early prototypes to real-world deployment.

This isn’t Amazon’s first tango with orbital hardware. Two prototype satellites, KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2, were launched in October 2023 to test key systems like propulsion, networking, and Amazon’s custom-designed optical inter-satellite links. The successful validation of those systems paved the way for the new deployment—and a lot more to come.

In fact, Amazon has reserved over 80 rocket launches from ULA, Blue Origin, Arianespace, and even rival SpaceX (talk about awkward carpools) to get its full network in the sky by 2029. To stay in the FCC’s good graces, Amazon must have at least half of the Kuiper network operational by July 2026.

Amazon says it will begin limited customer service by late 2025. Consumer terminals, which are expected to cost under $400, promise broadband speeds competitive with fiber—minus the trench digging. The company’s focus will initially be on areas that traditional internet providers often overlook: rural regions, developing countries, and locations where laying cables is economically impractical or physically impossible.

Of course, the space-based internet game is more than just who can launch the most metal. Satellite coordination, orbital debris mitigation, and light pollution for astronomers are all part of the challenge. Amazon claims its satellites are designed with low reflectivity and automated deorbiting systems to keep the skies clearer—both literally and figuratively.

With this launch, Amazon’s internet dreams have officially left the launchpad. Now comes the real test: connecting the world without dropping the signal.