Project Kuiper is Finally Here

After several delays due to bad weather, Amazon’s Project Kuiper finally launched its first batch of low-orbit broadband satellites on April 28. Amazon is under pressure to get the launches going and has a commitment to the Federal Communications Commission to launch 1,618 satellites by July 2026. That’s half of Project Kuiper’s first satellite fleet of 3,232 satellites. Project Kuiper’s stated mission is to provide fast, affordable broadband to communities around the world that are unserved or underserved with broadband. The company says it will offer three sizes of customer terminals that will support three tiers of service at 100 Mbps, 400 Mbps, and 1 gigabit. No prices have been announced yet for the receivers. The industry is waiting to find out what Amazon means by affordable broadband. It’s going to be interesting to see what a second major LEO satellite provider means for the U.S. broadband market.