Company giant Amazon has launched its first Kuiper internet satellite into space from Florida to begin the rollout of a space-based internet network that could rival SpaceX's Starlink.
The satellite is the first of 3,236 satellites Amazon plans to send into low-Earth orbit for its Kuiper project.
The project was signed in 2019 with a $10 billion investment to beam internet access to users globally.
United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket launched 27 satellites into space from Cape Canaveral Space Station after a delay on April 9 due to bad weather.
Amazon is betting everything on the Kuiper project in an effort to compete with Starlink and telecom providers like AT&T and T-Mobile.
After Amazon's first satellite launch was delayed by more than a year, Amazon hopes to launch its first batch of satellites in early 2024.
Next, Amazon must launch 1,618 satellites by mid-2026 under the final tariffs set by the US Federal Communications Commission.
However, the slower start could force it to apply for an extension.
Amazon plans to start service in the northern and southern regions with 578 satellites and expand coverage to the equator as more satellites are launched.
