SpaceX, Amazon’s primary competitor, is assisting in pursuing an orbital challenge to SpaceX.
On Wednesday, SpaceX will launch the subsequent batch of Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet satellites aloft.
Before dawn, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will transport a group of 24 Kuiper internet satellites. The mission, codenamed KF-01, will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and has a 27-minute launch window that opens at 2:18 a.m. ET.
Upon its completion, the total number of Kuiper satellites in orbit will reach 78. Amazon’s ultimate objective is to establish a substantial presence in the satellite internet market, which is presently dominated by Starlink’s network of approximately 8,000 satellites, by deploying over 3,200 spacecraft in its first-generation constellation in low Earth orbit.
Although Kuiper and SpaceX are unlikely partners, Amazon, which Jeff Bezos owns, executed a three-launch agreement with SpaceX in December 2023.
This agreement was reached just two months after the e-commerce behemoth was threatened with a lawsuit by shareholders due to its previous decision not to consider SpaceX when awarding its initial round of lucrative launch contracts, even though the Falcon 9 is the most reliable rocket currently in operation.
The issue is that, by its U.S. Federal Communications Commission license, at least half of Kuiper’s initial constellation must be deployed by the end of July 2026.
The clock is ticking: United Launch Alliance (ULA), Arianespace, and Blue Origin are the only designated launch providers with an operational rocket available to transport satellites to orbit.
The initial two batches of Kuiper satellites were launched by ULA, with the initial cohort being launched in April.
Blue Origin, Bezos’ other company, has only conducted one flight thus far and has been unsuccessful in recovering the booster. However, it ultimately intends to transport Kuiper satellites on its substantial New Glenn rocket. August 15 is the current date for the second launch.
