The satellites are the first of a delayed deployment set to rival Musk’s SpaceX Starlink network. On Monday (28 April) Amazon successfully deployed its first batch of Kuiper satellites on the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. The satellites then make their own way to an operational altitude of 630km. The Kuiper project was established to rival Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink programme and to bring inexpensive, high-speed internet connections to unserved and underserved locations globally. “Over the next few years, Kuiper and ULA teams will conduct seven more Atlas V launches and 38 launches on ULA’s larger Vulcan Centaur rocket.