Share Satellite broadband could bring internet to every corner of the globe, but at present it’s dominated by one company—SpaceX. That could change soon. This week, Amazon launched the first batch of satellites for its Kuiper constellation. While it might seem an extravagant way to get online, SpaceX’s Starlink system has proven very popular, with more than five million customers worldwide. But with a receiver priced at $349 and monthly subscription charges between $80 and $120, it’s not cheap. Competition may bring those prices down soon. European provider OneWeb and China’s Spacesail constellations are already providing limited service to customers. And earlier this week Amazon kicked off the development of a planned constellation of over 3,000 satellites dubbed Project Kuiper by launching its first 27 broadband satellites. “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,” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said on X after the launch. “Am really proud of the collective team.” The first batch of satellites were carried into low-Earth orbit by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, which blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Monday. The company confirmed all 27 have been switched on and are communicating with ground stations. The satellites were launched to an altitude of 280 miles but will now use electric propulsion to gradually ascend to a final operating altitude of 392 miles. The company had earlier launched two prototype satellites in 2023, before de-orbiting them. But in a pre-launch statement the company said the new batch of satellites have been upgraded significantly, including new phased array antennas, processors, solar arrays, propulsion systems, and optical inter-satellite links. ULA could launch as many as five more missions this year, according to Reuters, and over 80 missions are already lined up with ULA, European launch provider Arianne Space, and Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. But the company is well behind schedule, with this initial launch delayed by more than a year. SpaceX has already launched 8,000 satellites and is now launching at least one Starlink mission every week to expand access and replace older satellites. Given that kind of head start and the associated operational experience, it may be hard for Amazon to knock SpaceX off its perch as the leading space-based broadband provider. Be Part of the Future Sign up to receive top stories about groundbreaking technologies and visionary thinkers from SingularityHub. 100% Free.