July 16 - Amazon (AMZN, Financial) is teaming up with rival SpaceX to send its latest batch of Kuiper satellites into orbit, as it intensifies efforts to meet a critical regulatory deadline.
A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off Wednesday from Florida's Space Coast, carrying 24 Kuiper satellites. The mission, named “KF-01,” comes as Amazon works to accelerate deployment under a U.S. Federal Communications Commission requirement to launch half of its planned 3,236-satellite constellation by mid-2026.
The partnership marks a rare collaboration between Jeff Bezos' Amazon and Elon Musk's SpaceX, whose Starlink service currently dominates the satellite internet market with about 8,000 low-Earth orbit satellites in operation.
Following Wednesday's flight, Amazon will have 78 satellites in orbit. The company previously relied on United Launch Alliance for two Kuiper missions earlier this year. To meet its deployment goals, Amazon has booked up to 83 launches, including at least three with SpaceX.
The project has become a major investment focus for Amazon, with up to $10 billion in total spending, including $1.1 billion on satellite production and roughly $150 million per launch.
