A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket emblazoned with the Amazon logo lifted off from Cape Canaveral shortly after 2 p.m. Eastern time (1800 GMT), carrying the two Kuiper test satellites, a long-awaited mission Amazon initially had intended to launch using different rockets.
In the days leading up to the launch, Amazon divulged few specifics about the two satellites, which were built at its satellite plant in Redmond, Washington.
Amazon has vowed to invest $10 billion into its Kuiper project, which was announced in 2019, the year SpaceX began deploying its first operational Starlink spacecraft.
The market for broadband internet service from low-Earth orbiting satellites is viewed as being worth up to tens of billions of dollars in the next decade.
Like SpaceX, Amazon aims to target individual consumers and enterprise customers with Kuiper, pulling from its devices playbook to build consumer terminals at a company cost of $400 each - though it has not yet announced prices.
Persons:
SpaceX's Starlink, Elon, Canada's, Jeff Bezos, Joey Roulette, Chris Reese, Will Dunham 私 たち
Organizations:
United, Alliance, Cape Canaveral Space Force, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Boeing, Lockheed, Amazon
Locations:
Cape Canaveral , Florida, U.S, 読む WASHINGTON, Florida, Cape Canaveral, Redmond , Washington