Billionaires' competition fills the sky with satellites

Amazon, the company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, has launched the first satellites in the Kuiper constellation, marking a significant step in its plans to offer global high-speed internet services from space. The ultimate goal is to directly rival the Starlink network operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, reports AFP.

Several years behind its competition, Amazon has placed the first 27 Kuiper satellites into orbit, several hundred kilometers above Earth. The launch was carried out from the Cape Canaveral space station in Florida, using an Atlas V rocket manufactured by the United Launch Alliance (ULA), a partnership between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

These satellites represent the beginning of the ambitious Kuiper Project, a strategic space infrastructure with commercial, technological and geopolitical implications. Amazon has invested over $10 billion in developing the network, which will eventually include over 3,200 satellites.

• Affordable, global internet

Through this system, Amazon aims to provide high-speed internet access worldwide, including in hard-to-reach regions, conflict zones or areas affected by natural disasters. The company announced that the service would become operational in 2025, and prices would be kept at an "affordable" level, in line with the commercial model that has established the American giant.

• Competition with Starlink

Elon Musk's Starlink constellation currently dominates the satellite internet market, with over 7,200 active satellites, after SpaceX successfully carried out its 250th launch to expand the network on Sunday evening. Starlink services have proven useful in crisis situations, such as the earthquake in Morocco (2023), the fires in Los Angeles (2024), and on the front lines of the war in Ukraine. Unlike traditional satellite telecommunications systems, which use large satellites in geostationary orbits (over 35,000 km altitude), the Starlink and Kuiper networks operate in low orbit, which allows for higher data transfer speeds and more efficient coverage of hard-to-reach areas.

• Challenges and global competition

To make up for lost ground, Amazon plans to launch the constellation at an accelerated pace, with more than 80 launches scheduled in collaboration with companies such as ULA, Arianespace, Blue Origin (also owned by Bezos), but even SpaceX. The Kuiper network will compete not only with Starlink, but also with other international players, including European operator Eutelsat-OneWeb and China's Guowang constellation. However, the rapid increase in the number of satellites in low Earth orbit raises safety and sustainability issues, with risks related to orbital crowding, collisions and disruption of astronomical observations being reported.

• Political dimension

In addition, the geopolitical dimension of these constellations is becoming increasingly evident. Elon Musk's involvement in international political issues, as well as his closeness to former US President Donald Trump, have reignited discussions about the sovereignty of outer space and the increasingly influential role of private actors in this strategic area.

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