Amazon's Project Kuiper added 61 satellites to orbit across two launches this week. The company is playing catch-up in the low-Earth-orbit broadband race, where SpaceX's Starlink already operates thousands of satellites.
The launches bring Amazon's total constellation to a fraction of what competitors have deployed. After years of delays and regulatory battles, the company is now attempting to scale up deployment rapidly. The FCC required Amazon to launch half its planned constellation by 2026.
Amazon is building its satellites in-house at a facility in Kirkland, Washington, a bet that vertical integration will reduce costs. Whether that strategy works against SpaceX's reusable rockets remains to be seen. The company has contracts for dozens of launches across multiple providers, but SpaceX's launch cadence remains unmatched.
The broadband market is getting crowded. Amazon is joining Starlink, OneWeb, and others fighting for market share in a sector where profitability has proven elusive.