Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband internet initiative has made significant progress with the deployment of its inaugural batch of satellites, which were launched into orbit on Monday. This launch marks the beginning of an ambitious plan to eventually place a total of 3,236 satellites into low-Earth orbit, aimed at establishing competition with SpaceX’s prominent Starlink service.
The first 27 Kuiper satellites were successfully lifted into space aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on April 28, at 7 PM ET. This launch came after a prior attempt on April 9 was canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions.
In comments made on social media, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy expressed his pride in the team, stating, “While this is the first step in a much longer journey to launch the rest of our low Earth orbit constellation, it represents an incredible amount of invention and hard work.”
The satellites were positioned approximately 280 miles (450 kilometers) above Earth, and reports confirm that they are operational and effectively communicating with ground-based systems. Amazon has indicated its intention to roll out “high-speed, low-latency” internet services to users later this year, assuming all operations proceed without issue.
ULA CEO Tory Bruno noted the significance of this launch, remarking, “This launch marks the first step towards the future of our partnership and increased launch cadence… We have been steadily modifying our launch facilities in Cape Canaveral to support the capacity for future Project Kuiper missions.”
The ambitious Project Kuiper initiative, projected to cost around $10 billion, was first unveiled in 2019. To comply with regulatory requirements from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, Amazon must deploy 1,618 satellites by mid-2026 — a preliminary target that remains significantly below the number of operational satellites in SpaceX’s Starlink program, which currently exceeds 7,200.
SpaceX recently celebrated its 50th Starlink mission of 2025, reaching a total of 250 dedicated launches to date. The company aims to have a fleet of 12,000 satellites in orbit and has received regulatory clearance for an expansion to 34,400 satellites.
Amazon is among several competitors, including France’s Eutelsat and China’s Spacesail, aiming to provide an alternative to Starlink’s established network, although with the crowded nature of low-Earth orbit, the challenge remains formidable.
