Prepare yourself for Amazon’s Project Kuiper to accelerate its involvement in the megaconstellation space race.
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite megaconstellation has led the market for broadband connectivity from low Earth orbit so far. Since SpaceX founder Elon Musk unveiled the project in Seattle nearly 10 years ago, the Starlink network has attracted more than 5 million subscribers and garnered more than $2 billion in U.S. government contracts, which includes work on the Starshield national security network.
The upcoming year, however, is set to introduce intensified competition: Like Starlink, Project Kuiper aims to provide high-speed internet access from the sky for hundreds of millions around the globe who currently lack adequate service.
After last year’s successful test of two prototype satellites, Amazon plans to launch operational Kuiper satellites starting in early 2025, with service expected to commence by year-end. While pricing details remain undisclosed, Amazon emphasizes that “affordability is a key principle of Project Kuiper.”
Amazon’s satellites are being crafted at facilities in Kirkland and Redmond, Wash., with additional support facilities situated in Everett, Wash., and at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Under the conditions of Amazon’s license from the Federal Communications Commission, at least half of Project Kuiper’s initial set of 3,232 satellites must reach orbit by mid-2026, which necessitates an ambitious launch agenda. Next year’s important launch will use United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, but Amazon has also booked flights on ULA’s Vulcan, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, Arianespace’s Ariane 6, and even SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
As Amazon advances on the technical front, it is also solidifying its business strategies. Project Kuiper’s strategic partners include Verizon in the U.S. and various telecom operators in South America, Japan, Europe and Africa. Recently, officials in Taiwan announced discussions with Amazon about collaborating on Kuiper—a venture that could enhance the island’s communication infrastructure against prospective threats from mainland China.
In his latest letter to shareholders, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy stated that Kuiper will present a “very large revenue opportunity” once operational. Significant prospects include potential synergies with Amazon Web Services, which could utilize Kuiper to bolster global connectivity through the cloud.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is not remaining idle: Microsoft has integrated Starlink connectivity within its Azure cloud computing platform. In July, the Redmond-based software titan’s M12 venture fund led a $40 million funding round for Armada, a startup developing mobile data centers optimized for Starlink services.
In early 2025, Bellevue, Wash.-based T-Mobile is set to initiate beta testing for direct-to-cell services utilizing SpaceX’s next-generation Starlink satellites. Mike Katz, T-Mobile’s president of marketing, strategy, and products, claimed in a press release that T-Mobile Starlink will enable “the phone in your pocket to function in areas of the U.S. that have never, and probably never will, have ground-based coverage.”
The evolution of the megaconstellation industry isn’t the only space advancement to anticipate in the upcoming year. Here’s a recap of 2024’s major space stories and a preview of anticipated space stories for 2025:
2024’s top space stories
- Blue Origin resumes crew flights: Jeff Bezos’ space company resumed launching customers on suborbital space trips in May after a 21-month hiatus.
- Boeing’s Starliner falls short on inaugural crewed flight test: Issues encountered during two astronauts’ June flight to the International Space Station led NASA to return the Starliner space taxi uncrewed. The two Starliner crew members await a return trip on a SpaceX Dragon. Concurrently, Boeing’s ongoing challenges prompted an executive shakeup.
- SpaceX successfully lands Starship: SpaceX made notable strides in the test program for its Starship/Super Heavy launch system, including an October flight that featured a dramatic “catch” of the Super Heavy booster during its landing approach.
- Mixed results for lunar missions: A variety of robotic landers reached the moon—including Japan’s SLIM spacecraft and Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus probe. However, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander did not succeed due to propulsion system issues. Additionally, NASA announced the first crewed lunar landing in over 50 years would be delayed until mid-2027 at the earliest.
- A solar eclipse and other celestial phenomena: Viewing April’s total solar eclipse proved challenging due to weather, but persistence was rewarded. May offered a widely visible auroral display, and October showcased Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS.
Space trends to watch in 2025
- Debut flight for Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket: Following a successful hotfire test, Jeff Bezos’ space venture is slated to launch its first orbital payload early in the new year.
- Exciting year for Stoke Space and its Nova rocket: The Tukwila, Wash.-based startup recently conducted a key hotfire test and plans to launch its first Nova rocket from Florida by the close of 2025.
- Inauguration of a grand observatory: Scientific operations at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile will commence in the coming year, with “First Light” tentatively scheduled for June. The billion-dollar initiative has received financial backing from Microsoft pioneer Charles Simonyi and technical input from University of Washington astronomers.
- Total lunar eclipse and more celestial wonders: Millions of Americans will witness the moon dim on the night of March 13-14. A different spectacle unfolds in late January and early February, with as many as six planets (and possibly seven) visible in the night sky.
- The Trump impact on space exploration: Space policy is likely to shift with Donald Trump’s return to the White House, especially given Elon Musk’s role as a key adviser. Trump’s NASA administrator choice, tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, has set new precedents as the leader of the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn space missions. What ideas will Isaacman, Musk, and Trump evolve in 2025? Stay tuned…
