Amazon is launching its Project Kuiper Starlink competitor next week - here's when service is expected to begin
Amazon / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
If you're waiting for an alternative to Starlink, Amazon's answer is finally ready.
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In a blog post yesterday, Amazon announced that 27 satellites will launch into low orbit next week from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., as a part of Project Kuiper. The launch will happen no earlier than noon Eastern on Wednesday, April 9.
How to watch the launch live
You can watch the launch live and follow the mission's progress on the official Kuiper 1 mission page.
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Project Kuiper is Amazon's vision to bring high-speed, low-latency internet to virtually any location on the planet -- exactly like Starlink. It expects to begin offering service later this year.
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Amazon says it has already secured more than 80 launch dates to deploy the rest of its satellites, with each launch adding dozens to the network. The final fleet will have more than 3,200 satellites. For comparison, Starlink has more than 7,100 satellites in orbit.
Several options will be available, including one that sounds a lot like Starlink Mini.
Consumer terminal coming
A standard customer terminal measures less than 11 inches square and 1 inch thick, and it weighs less than five pounds. Amazon says its consumer terminal will be "one of the most powerful commercially available" of its size and will be capable of delivering speeds up to 400 megabits per second.
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A larger "Pro" commercial terminal will be able to deliver speeds up to 1 gigabit per second, while a 7-inch square design will be the smallest and most affordable customer terminal, weighing one pound and offering speeds up to 100 Mbps.
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Amazon says it's focusing on affordability for its customer terminals, and its goal is to design a customer terminal that costs less than $500 to build. A standard Starlink terminal costs $349, while the Mini is $499. It hasn't announced pricing for service yet.
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