When Amazon chief Andy Jassy shared a post about Project Kuiper broadband satellites on LinkedIn, it looked like SpaceX’s Starlink on steroids. 

During a podcast with Lex Fridman, Jeff Bezos hesitantly said that while “SpaceX is going to be successful for sure,” there’s “room for a bunch of winners” in space, including Blue Origin and others—drawing a parallel to the internet, with numerous successful entities.

While this is in context to his space venture, Blue Origin, it also stands true for Amazon’s Kuiper—an up-and-coming rival to SpaceX’s Starlink in the rapidly evolving satellite internet market. Interestingly, the 3,236 satellite constellation, which Musk had once labelled a copycat mission, is being launched on SpaceX’s back. 

With the promise of high-speed, low-latency internet access, both aim to capture a significant share of a market projected to reach $19 billion by the end of the decade. 

Moreover, Amazon recently announced that it has achieved a breakthrough with its ‘Project Kuiper’ internet satellite system, completing successful tests of an optical mesh network in low-Earth orbit and demonstrating 100 Gbps optical links between its prototype satellites.

This will enhance throughput and reduce latency for its satellite internet service, which employs infrared lasers for data transmission between spacecraft in orbit.

Unlike earlier generations, OISL or ‘optical inter-satellite links’ used in Kuiper’s satellites can simultaneously establish connections with multiple other spacecraft, forming a space-based mesh network. The mesh network allows Kuiper to move data approximately 30% faster than terrestrial fibre optic cables over equivalent distances.

However, while competitor Starlink has already achieved the laser capability, Amazon overcame challenges in implementing OISL, like the need for precise, narrow laser beams to maintain contact up to 1,616 miles away, accounting for spacecraft speeds of up to 15,534 miles per hour and complex orbital dynamics. 

Interestingly, Kuiper, led by Rajeev Badyal, a former president of Starlink, still has a long way to go when it comes to matching the capabilities of Starlink, which has more than 2 million active customers and is available on all seven continents. Not just that, Starlink has also secured government contracts in the billions.

Kuiper vs Starlink

Amazon initiated Project Kuiper in 2019 to launch a constellation of 3,276 satellites orbiting at 590 to 630 kilometres, slated to deploy at least 50% of its constellation by 2026. In contrast, Starlink, developed by SpaceX, has already deployed over 5,000 satellites and aims for a massive constellation of 42,000.

However, analysts believe that Amazon’s Project Kuiper is pioneering advanced technology, such as space lasers, while also employing straightforward, reliable components that help manage costs and weight. “Kuiper is designing spacecraft that are fewer in number, bigger in size, higher in power” than SpaceX’s first generation of vehicles, said Caleb Henry, a researcher at Quilty Space. 

Performance and Hardware

Pricing details for Project Kuiper are still undisclosed. Still, Amazon is expected to enter the market with competitive rates, possibly subsidised by its core businesses, such as e-commerce and cloud services. Starlink, however, offers tiered pricing based on location and chosen plan, with customers in the United States paying between $90 to $110 per month for the Residential plan and hardware fees.

In the hardware realm, Project Kuiper plans to offer phased-array antennas with various customer terminal options, including a compact and affordable 7-inch square design suitable for ground mobility and IoT applications.

Starlink, meanwhile, provides a range of hardware sets to accommodate different use cases, including high-performance antennas for business customers and mobile solutions for on-the-go users.

The performance of both services depends on several factors, including the customer terminal selected and network congestion. Project Kuiper’s terminals are projected to offer speeds ranging from 100 Mbps for the mini version to 1 Gbps for the high-performance version.

Starlink initially promised download speeds of up to 350 Mbps with low latency, but recent revisions have lowered these figures to 220 Mbps for certain plans. Starlink’s performance may vary as more users join the network, impacting bandwidth availability.

In conclusion, while both Project Kuiper and Starlink aim to offer satellite-based internet services, they differ in several key aspects, including satellite constellation size, launch partnerships, availability, pricing, hardware offerings, performance projections, and investment scale.

The direction these projects take, and their ultimate impact on the global internet landscape will become clearer as they progress towards full deployment and commercial operation.

Generative AI to the Rescue 

Amazon has also indicated the usage of generative AI in constellation management to manage these massive constellations of satellites better. In a conversation with AIM, director of Aerospace and Satellite Solutions at AWS, Clint Crosier emphasised the immense computational power and complex processes required for managing such satellite constellations.

These processes involve daily maintenance updates, solar array charging, battery management, and other technical tasks necessary to keep satellites operational. Currently, these processes are predominantly executed by humans.

However, generative AI promises to change this paradigm. Crosier described how generative AI could handle the intricacies of constellation management efficiently. He explained, “Generative AI is going to allow you to feed 600 satellites to the generative AI system and say, ‘go build the maintenance plan that maximizes the maintenance on the satellite while reducing the impact to users on the ground’. That only does maintenance on a satellite when it’s out of view.”

This approach could significantly enhance the operational efficiency of satellite constellations, reducing human intervention and maximising performance.

Partnerships and Availability

Amazon has announced critical partnerships with Verizon Communications Inc (US), Vodafone Group Plc (Europe and Africa), and Japan’s NTT targeting customer base including enterprises, governments, schools, hospitals, and mobile operators, emphasising diversification in over 15 countries, including Brazil, Canada, France, Mexico, and the US where it has obtained licenses to operate.

Leveraging AWS infrastructure and services can also create a flexible and secure end-to-end connectivity network for customers, allowing them to connect people, facilities, and equipment efficiently.

On the other hand, in terms of availability, Starlink has been operational since November 2020 and has expanded its coverage to over 60 countries, offering a variety of internet plans. 

While Starlink benefits from in-house launch capabilities using SpaceX’s reliable and cost-effective Falcon 9 and Heavy rockets, Project Kuiper has contracted United Launch Alliance (ULA), ArianeGroup, and Blue Origin and plans to collaborate with ABL.