Low orbit, high stakes: the satellite internet race

Over the last few years I have questioned the strategy behind Amazon and Jeff Bezo’s Project Kuiper.

In 2021 I warned that his reaction to Starlink’s success was basically to cry foul, rather than competing seriously.

If you can’t beat them, report them to the authorities….

Then, in 2022, I pointed out how foolish it was to contract 83 launches with slow or still non-existent providers such as ULA, Arianespace and Blue Origin itself, rather than using SpaceX, the most reliable and cheapest option. In 2023, I argued that the decision was not based on technical criteria, and instead was about the Bezos and Musk’s mutual antipathy. A lesson in how enmities can cost you billions.

In the coming satellite war, will Jeff Bezos find himself stuck on the launch pad?