Amazon's Project Kuiper internet network satellites: How much will it cost? Can it compete with SpaceX Starlink?

Amazon has begun the full-scale deployment of its Project Kuiper satellite internet network. Now, all eyes are on the assembly of Amazon's "big new satellite-internet constellation" that, reports say, will rival SpaceX's Starlink.

Amazon, a company that Jeff Bezos started as an online bookseller decades ago, launched the first batch of 27 internet satellites for its "Kuiper" broadband internet constellation on Monday.

The mission was called Kuiper Atlas 1 or KA-01. It was launched on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and deployed 27 satellites at an altitude of 450 kilometres above Earth.

Reuters reported that the launch kicked off Amazon's long-delayed $10 billion effort to build a global internet network to rival SpaceX's Starlink.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted Amazon a licence in July 2020 to deploy and operate Project Kuiper satellites.

This has spiralled into the latest battle of the billionaires — Jeff Bezos (Amazon boss) and Elon Musk (SpaceX chief) – in space. The project aims to provide another option for remaining connected in the modern world.

About launch of Amazon's Project Kuiper satellites

The United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket carried 27 of Amazon's Project Kuiper satellites from Florida into low-Earth orbit on Monday. Once released in orbit, the satellites will eventually reach an altitude of nearly 630 kilometres.

The satellites were lofted into space at 7 pm EDT from the launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Bad weather had scrubbed an initial launch attempt on April 9.

Founded by Jeff Bezos, who now runs his own rocket company Blue Origin, Amazon aims to put more than 3,200 of these satellites into orbit to provide fast, affordable broadband service around the globe.

What is Project Kuiper satellite?

Project Kuiper is an Amazon initiative to increase global broadband access through a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.

Amazon has already secured more than 80 launches to deploy that initial constellation, with each one adding dozens of satellites to the network.

Monday's KA-01 mission is just the first step in that process. The project aims to provide "fast, affordable broadband to communities around the world".

This network is expected to serve a wide range of customers, including schools, hospitals, businesses, government agencies, and others operating in places without reliable connectivity or that need more flexible, resilient communications capabilities

How many satellites will Project Kuiper have?

Project Kuiper’s initial satellite constellation design includes 3,232 satellites, the website states.

The term “constellation” refers to a group of similar satellites working together with tightly coordinated movements to achieve a common purpose —"in this case, providing reliable broadband coverage".

How fast will Project Kuiper internet be?

Amazon's website says that the company's ultra-compact model provides speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps), the standard model delivers up to 400 Mbps, and the largest model, which is intended for enterprise, government, and telecommunications applications, delivers up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps).

In comparison, Starlink users typically experience download speeds between 25 and 220 Mbps, with a majority of users experiencing speeds over 100 Mbps.

How much will Project Kuiper service cost?

Amazon hasn’t announced pricing details yet, but affordability is a key principle of Project Kuiper, the website says.

Meanwhile, rival Starlink and other global satcom companies have priced satellite internet plans at $10-500 per month, excluding the one-time cost for hardware (which is around $250-380).

Starlink is faster than traditional satellite internet, reaching speeds up to 220 Mbps, but can be more expensive than fibre. This, according to JM Financial, is 7-18 times more expensive than Indian telcos’ home broadband plans, which start from $5-7 per month.

What's next?

Over the next few years, Kuiper and ULA teams will conduct seven more Atlas V launches and 38 launches on ULA’s larger Vulcan Centaur rocket. An additional 30-plus launches are also planned across other launch providers: Arianespace, Blue Origin, and SpaceX.

"We have already begun shipping and processing satellites for our next mission: KA-02 will also use a ULA Atlas V rocket and launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station," Amazon says.

Can Amazon's Project Kuiper compete with Elon Musk's Starlink?

Kuiper is arguably Amazon's biggest bet underway, pitting it against Starlink as well as global telecommunication providers like AT&T and T-Mobile.

Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos earlier exuded confidence that Kuiper can compete with Starlink, telling Reuters in a January interview that "there's insatiable demand" for internet.

"There's room for lots of winners there. I predict Starlink will continue to be successful, and I predict Kuiper will be successful as well," Bezos was quoted by Reuters as saying.

"It will be a primarily commercial system, but there will be defence uses for these LEO constellations, no doubt," he added, referring to low-Earth orbit.

Project Kuiper vs Starlink

Amazon's launch on Monday was the first of more than 80 planned launches to build out the Project Kuiper constellation, which will eventually harbour more than 3,200 satellites.

"That's a big number, but it won't set a record," Space.com reported. Notably, SpaceX's Starlink broadband network currently consists of more than 7,200 operational spacecraft.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has already launched more than 8,000 Starlinks since 2019. According to the Associated Press, the company marked its 250th Starlink launch Sunday night.

More than 7,000 Starlink satellites are still in orbit, some 550 kilometres above Earth, the report added.

But Starlink, perhaps, is Project Kuiper's biggest competitor, and is growing all the time. SpaceX's deployment pace has hastened to at least one Starlink mission per week, each rocket with roughly two-dozen satellites on board to expand the network's bandwidth and replace outdated satellites, Reuters reported.

That quick pace has helped Musk's company amass more than 5 million internet users across 125 countries, upend the global satellite communications market and woo military and intelligence agencies that have sought to use Starlink and its manufacturing line for sensitive national security programmes.

Meanwhile, the European-based OneWeb satellite constellation numbers in the hundreds in an even higher orbit.