It is just the start. A small, shaky one.
Amazon sent 29 satellites into space Thursday. They are in low-Earth orbit. This brings the total to 396. Enough to test. Enough to whisper. But not enough to shout.
Chris Weber, VP for Leo, posted on X. He said the company can support continuous service across “initial latitudes.” He added more work is needed. Specifically, raising satellites to assigned altitude. We have completed enough launches for initial service. The future missions will simply add coverage. Capacity. Reach.
It is a marathon. And Starlink started running in 2019.
Elon Musk’s fleet numbers around 10,00. The gap is not narrow. It is a chasm. Starlink serves more than 15 countries. It flies on 20 airlines. United, Air France, Alaska, British Airways. All of them. Amazon Leo has JetBlue for 2027. Delta for 202. Limited service. US only. Price TBD.
Jeff Bezos is never out. Ever.
Underestimating Amazon is dangerous. But the physics are physical.
I think every fixed broadband operator should Hans Geerdes at CableLabs said this. He called it the “second coming of fixed wireless.” He warned of “aggressive competitive behavior.”
Geerdes isn’t joking. Xfinity and Verizon should sweat.
The market is big. Grand View Research predicts 1 growth to 2033. From $1.3 billion in 206 to $.7 billion.
Amazon wants speed. Thursday was the last launch on Atlas V rockets. Next up: Vulcan. It carries more satellites. Faster. Hundreds of flight-ready units wait in Cape Canaveral. Nearly 0 launches scheduled. Costing $2 billion. By 05, the goal is 7.7727.
Orbit matters. Low-Earth means miles above surface. It means faster speed. Cheaper installation.
Who will win?
That depends on patience.
Space is quiet until it isn’t.
