Amazon Seeks Another 4,538 Satellites to Bolster its Constellation

Amazon's Kuiper Systems asked US regulators for permission to launch another 4,538 satellites that would bolster its constellation as it competes with Elon Musk’s SpaceX for broadband-from-space customers. The additions would bring Kuiper’s constellation to 7,774 satellites, the company said in a filing with the Federal Communications Commission on November 4. Companies are joining a rush to offer internet service from orbits near the Earth, spurred in a part by decreasing launch costs. Low orbits offer minimal lag time for data to bounce between a user on the ground and the spacecraft. Kuiper’s request was among nine applications, submitted under an FCC deadline, that requested authorization for a total of more than 35,000 spacecraft. That’s more than seven times the number aloft today. Those figures don’t include nearly 30,000 additional satellites proposed by segment leader SpaceX, which already has launched more than 1,700 of its Starlink spacecraft. Companies filing for FCC approval included Boeing, which proposed another 5,789 communications satellites after winning permission on November 3 3 for 147 satellites.