Amazon’s Project Kuiper strikes its first satellite internet deal with an airline

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

Amazon has been moving connected its Starlink rival since 2019, but the work has lone conscionable started to get disconnected the ground. In April, Amazon successfully launched its archetypal circular of 27 low-earth orbit satellites into space. The Project Kuiper constellation has since grown to more than 100 satellites, making up a tiny fraction of the implicit 3,200 satellites it yet plans to deploy. Amazon has different Project Kuiper motorboat acceptable for aboriginal this month, but it inactive has ways to spell to drawback up to Starlink, which has more than 8,000 satellites successful orbit.

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