Amazon’s Project Kuiper Signs First Airline To Space Internet Service

Amazon’s outer net service, Project Kuiper, will partner pinch JetBlue to supply in-flight Wi-Fi starting successful 2027. It’s Project Kuiper’s first woody pinch an hose arsenic it intends to support up pinch nan SpaceX-owned Starlink, which has already snagged outer net agreements pinch United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Air France, and respective others.

Amazon has been moving connected its Starlink competitor since 2019, but nan work has only conscionable started to get disconnected nan ground. In April, Amazon successfully launched its first information of 27 low-earth orbit satellites into space. The Project Kuiper constellation has since grown to more than 100 satellites, making up a mini fraction of nan complete 3,200 satellites it yet plans to deploy. Amazon has different Project Kuiper motorboat group for later this month, but it still has ways to spell to drawback up to Starlink, which has more than 8,000 satellites successful orbit.

Project Kuiper-powered Wi-Fi will beryllium disposable connected “select” craft astatine launch. Amazon says its satellites will supply little latency and “more reliable service” for passengers, arsenic they orbit betwixt 367 and 391 miles supra Earth — acold person than nan geostationary satellites that orbit astir 22,369 miles supra nan planet. Amazon has also struck a deal pinch Airbus to build Project Kuiper’s outer net work into its aircraft.