What is Amazon’s Project Kuiper? The Starlink rival explained ahead of tomorrow’s big lift-off
If you live somewhere that has poor broadband connectivity, Amazon could soon have the answer: the company is launching a constellation of satellites with the goal of making low-cost internet available worldwide. The initiative is called Project Kuiper and it’s coming sooner than you think – with the first batch of satellites being blasted into space tomorrow on Wednesday April 9.
A competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink, the aim of Project Kuiper is to bring the world online, by offering high-speed connectivity in remote regions. Amazon says it plans to make the service accessible by offering affordable plans and outdoor antennae.
With the first full-scale satellite deployment taking off this week (weather permitting), Amazon is planning to make the service available to customers “later this year”. As the race for satellite internet supremacy heats up, here’s everything you need to know about Project Kuiper.
What is Project Kuiper?
- Project Kuiper is a planned satellite internet service from Amazon
- It will use a constellation of thousands of low Earth orbit satellites
- It aims to provide data coverage in remote regions
Project Kuiper is the name for Amazon’s planned satellite internet service. The company intends to offer fast, affordable broadband by launching its own network of thousands of low Earth orbit satellites.
One of the aims of Project Kuiper is to provide internet service in areas of the world which are beyond the reach of “traditional, ground-based fiber and wireless connectivity solutions”. Amazon plans to address these “coverage gaps” by investing heavily in satellite technology.
Amazon began working on Project Kuiper in 2018. It received a license from the FCC in July 2020 to launch and operate satellites. In 2023, two major developments were announced: a processing facility at Kennedy Space Center and a dedicated satellite production facility in Washington (where Project Kuiper is based).
How does Project Kuiper work?
- Amazon will initially launch a constellation of 3,232 satellites
- These will orbit lower than traditional geostationary satellites
- Customers connect using terminals installed at home
Project Kuper will use a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to deliver high-speed internet to users on the ground. Like SpaceX’s rival Starlink system, customers will need to install a small outdoor antenna to connect to the service and communicate with the satellites passing overhead.
Amazon initially plans to launch 3,232 satellites. At around 375 miles above the ground, these orbit much closer to the Earth than traditional geostationary satellites. This results in lower latency and faster data transmission. The constellation is designed to provide global coverage by seamlessly handing off connections between satellites as they orbit.
Both the satellites and antennae rely on a single custom chip developed by Amazon, codenamed “Prometheus”, which handles processing, traffic and point-to-point connectivity.
Amazon will also operate a network of stations on the ground to manage data coverage and traffic, communicate with the satellites and keep them operating correctly.
When will Project Kuiper be available?
- Two prototype satellites launched in 2023
- First full-scale deployment planned for April 2025
- Service rollout scheduled for later in the year
To get its satellites into space, Amazon is working with commercial launch providers such as SpaceX and Blue Origin. It has already secured more than 80 heavy-lift launches, enough to put most of its constellation into orbit.
Amazon launched a pair of prototype satellites in 2023. It’s now ready to begin full deployment of its constellation, with the first batch of 27 satellites set to launch from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday 9 April, aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket.
Amazon hasn’t confirmed when the service will roll out commercially, but confirmed on April 2 that it expects it to be available “later this year”.
How fast will Project Kuiper be?
- Standard antenna will support 400Mbps connectivity
- Low-cost, compact terminal will offer speeds up to 100Mbps
- Largest antenna gives enterprise users 1Gbps speeds
To begin with, Amazon has developed three “customer terminals”, each of which offers different connectivity speeds.
The standard antenna measures less than 11 inches square and is designed for domestic roof-mounting. Amazon claims it will deliver speeds of up to 400Mbps and cost less than $400 (around £320 / AU$633) to produce.
Amazon has also engineered a cheaper, more compact antenna which measures 7 inches square and weighs just 1lb. Designed as a low-cost, portable option, this will be the most affordable way for customers to access the service. It will offer internet speeds of up to 100Mbps.
For enterprise and power users, as well as telecoms and government use, Amazon has created a larger antenna that can deliver connectivity at up to 1Gbps.
How much will Project Kuiper cost?
- There’s no confirmed pricing yet
- Amazon says it’s targeting “affordability”
- Production cost of standard terminal is less than $400
Amazon hasn’t confirmed pricing for Project Kuiper yet. However, the company has made clear that “affordability is a key principle”. The company is taking a similar approach to satellite internet as it did with “low-cost devices like Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick”, with the aim of connecting as many customers as possible around the world.
That’s why it has developed a compact, low-cost antenna, as well as keeping the production cost of its standard terminal below $400.
It’s likely that the service will be accessible as part of a monthly subscription. Amazon has confirmed that the offering and its pricing “may vary from country to country”, just as its Prime membership does currently.
To give you an idea, Starlink’s residential plan (with unlimited data) currently starts at $120 / £75 / AU$139 per month, with its on-the-go Roam plan (capped at 50GB data) setting you back $50 / £50 / AU$80 per month, with the unlimited Roam plan costing $165 / £96 / AU$195 per month.
Project Kuiper vs Starlink: how do they compare?
- Both services use low Earth orbit satellites
- Starlink is already operational with more than 7,000 satellites
- Project Kuiper is likely to be more affordable once it’s launched
Both Project Kuiper and Starlink, operated by SpaceX, aim to use satellites to provide high-speed internet connectivity to remote corners of the world. Each system relies on low Earth orbit satellites to achieve low-latency data transmission, with users able to connect the services using a range of terminals.
One key difference is that Starlink is several steps ahead of Project Kuiper. It already has more than 7,000 functioning satellites in orbit. Customers can access its services in countless locations right now by purchasing a Starlink antenna and paying for a subscription. Starlink is also trialling smartphone to satellite connectivity with T-Mobile (below).
Because it owns its own rockets, SpaceX has more flexibility to deploy Starlink satellites. Amazon has to rely on third-party launch partners, including SpaceX. On the other hand, Amazon is able to rely on its established cloud service network, AWS, to support the backend infrastructure of its satellite network.
While Project Kuiper is still several months away from offering comparable coverage to consumers, it’s likely to be the less expensive option once it’s up and running. Amazon has made clear that it wants its satellite internet service to be affordable, including both antenna hardware and connectivity packages.
We’ll only know how the performance and value of each service compares once we’ve carried out an in-depth review of Project Kuiper. But competition is certainly no bad thing, even if it is between companies run by two of the world’s richest men.
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If you live somewhere that has poor broadband connectivity, Amazon could soon have the answer: the company is launching a constellation of satellites with the goal of making low-cost internet available worldwide. The initiative is called Project Kuiper and it’s coming sooner than you think – with the first batch…
