Amazon will launch the latest group of its Kuiper internet satellites in partnership with SpaceX today, as it aims to rival SpaceX’s Starlink network.
These satellites will be sent to space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which will take off from Florida's Cape Canaveral launch site after 2 am local time (4 pm AEST). The launch will be livestreamed on X, owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
“The mission will send 24 Kuiper satellites into orbit, bringing the number of spacecraft deployed to date to 78 satellites,” wrote Amazon.
“SpaceX will deploy the satellites at an altitude of 289 miles (465 kilometres) above Earth, at which point the Project Kuiper team will take over command of the mission from our mission operations center in Redmond, Washington, complete initial satellite health checks, and ultimately raise the satellites to their assigned altitude of 630 km.”
This will be Amazon’s third Kuiper satellite launch mission. Its previous batches of satellites were brought to space aboard United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rockets.
At least half of Amazon’s planned 3,236 satellites must be in orbit by the end of July 2026, under a deadline from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Two additional launches are planned with SpaceX, with 83 total launches booked.
As well as SpaceX and United Launch Alliance, Kuiper satellites will also be brought to space aboard rockets from Arianespace and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
Amazon and SpaceX agreed to partner on the Kuiper launch in 2023. While Amazon had initially refused to consider SpaceX for its first round of contracts, Amazon shareholders filed a lawsuit alleging Amazon had not done its due diligence in choosing contractors.
The Kuiper satellite constellation will offer broadband connectivity worldwide, and would be a rival to SpaceX’s Starlink, currently the largest provider of low-Earth orbit satellite internet. Starlink had 7,875 satellites in orbit as of June 2025, with more expansions planned.
Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) share price closed at US$226.35, up from its previous close of $225.69. Its market capitalisation is $2.4 trillion.
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