Amazon challenges Starlink as Ariane 6 launches 32 Project Kuiper Leo satellites

Amazon has expanded space internet by launching 32 Amazon Leo satellites through Ariane 6 rocket on Thursday at 4:57 a.m. EDT.

The launch successfully took place from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on the north-eastern coast of South America, as reported by AFP.

The historic launch is associated with the Amazon Leo project, previously known as Project Kuiper. Under this project, the giant US company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos sent the internet constellation to space, aiming to compete with Elon Musk-owned Starlink broadband mega constellation.

Amazon Leo will eventually consist of about 3,200 satellites whereas Starlink is ahead in this race driven by more than 10,000 spacecraft.

This was the second Ariane 6 launch tasked with deploying 32 satellites for Project Kuiper, the low Earth orbit (LEO) internet constellation owned by Amazon.

The mission also represented the second flight of the Ariane 64 variant, the rocket's most powerful configuration, featuring four solid rocket boosters.

According to the company’s plan, 3,200 satellites will be introduced in space over the course of more than 80 launches, carried out by various rockets, such as Ariane 6, SpaceX's Falcon 9 and United Launch Alliance's Atlas V and Vulcan Centaur.

Till now, only 10 missions have been lifted off and the most recent one occurred on April 27 when Atlas V launched 29 Amazon Leo satellites to orbit.

The mission’s responsibility falls under the French company Arianespace. The company is tasked with 18 launches for Amazon 18.