Amazon is launching its first Project Kuiper satellites on April 9They’re the first step in its plan to offer a new satellite broadband serviceProject Kuiper will launch “later this year” to take on Starlink The new space race, where tech giants battle to offer us high-speed internet from low-earth orbit, is heating up – Amazon has just announced that its first Project Kuiper satellites will be launching next week to take on Starlink. The launch of 27 satellites – the first of around 3,200 that Amazon will blast into space – is scheduled to take place at 12pm ET on April 9, weather permitting. More importantly for anyone who’s pinning their hopes on satellite-based broadband solving their dead zones, Amazon says “we expect to begin delivering service to customers later this year”. Like the Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX, Amazon’s system will be a worldwide service. The tech giant says Project Kuiper “will deliver high-speed, low-latency internet […]