Amazon’s satellite internet project, Project Kuiper, hit a major milestone on Monday, April 28, with the successful launch of its KA-01 mission aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.
The mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, deploying 27 satellites into low Earth orbit.
Amazon confirmed that it has established contact with all 27 satellites, and that early deployment and activation sequences are running smoothly. This marks the first full batch of operational satellites in Amazon’s plan to build a global broadband network—one seen as a possible rival to SpaceX’s Starlink service.
While Starlink has already deployed thousands of satellites and rolled out service globally, Amazon is now entering the race with its own system of over 3,200 low Earth orbit satellites. These satellites are designed to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to underserved and remote communities around the world.
The KA-01 satellites are a big step up from the two prototypes Amazon tested in 2023. They include upgraded phased-array antennas, custom processors, and optical inter-satellite links, as well as a special coating to reduce their visibility in the night sky—a common criticism of Starlink’s constellation.
Now in orbit, the satellites are using electric propulsion to climb from their deployment altitude of 450 km to a final orbit of 630 km. Once positioned, they’ll begin testing full end-to-end connectivity — sending data from the ground to space and back through user terminals.
Amazon says this is just the beginning. It has already secured over 80 launches across ULA, Blue Origin, Arianespace, and SpaceX itself to roll out its full network. The company also confirmed that the next mission, KA-02, is already in preparation.
Service for Project Kuiper is expected to begin later this year, as Amazon ramps up production and continues its push to become a major player in the satellite internet market—a space Starlink currently dominates.
