Amazon has signed an agreement with competitor SpaceX. Under the agreement, the latter will launch satellites for the Project Kuiper internet network into low Earth orbit.
Amazon said it has signed a three-launch deal with SpaceX. The intention is for these to take place in mid-2025. The Project Kuiper satellites are carried by Falcon 9 rockets. It is not known what amount is involved in this agreement. While the bulk of the satellite network will be launched by Amazon’s other partners, these additional launches by SpaceX should provide even more capacity to stay on schedule, the company said.
Project Kuiper aims to bring broadband internet to millions of “unserved or underserved communities around the world.” This concerns both companies and consumers. To this end, the intention is to launch more than 3,200 satellites to low Earth orbit before 2029. Amazon already received permission for this from the FTC in 2020.
That organization requires Amazon to have launched at least half of the planned satellites by the summer of 2026. However, the launches have been somewhat delayed. The first satellites were originally planned to be launched late last year, but that ultimately only happened last October . To meet the deadline, Amazon is currently working with many parties, such as United Launch Alliance, Arianespace, Blue Origin and now also SpaceX. The first pilots with business customers should start before the end of 2024. Amazon plans to invest ten billion dollars in Project Kuiper.
Although Project Kuiper satellites will be launched by SpaceX, the latter is also Amazon’s biggest competitor in this area. The space company has already launched around 5,000 satellites for the Starlink internet satellite service. The Starlink network also has more than two million customers.
In September, a major Amazon shareholder, the Cleveland Bakers and Teamsters pension fund, filed a complaint alleging that the tech giant was “excluding” SpaceX from contract negotiations for the Project Kuiper satellite launches. According to CB&T, SpaceX was left out due to the “rivalry” between Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Amazon called these claims baseless.
