Amazon seeks to launch 5,000 satellites to challenge Musk's Starlink

Amazon has asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve a plan to launch up to 5,105 low-Earth orbit satellites by 2028 as the company pushes into the satellite internet market.

The Financial Times reported that in a filing submitted to the FCC on Saturday, Amazon stated it aims to deliver "direct-to-device connectivity for millions of people who live, travel and work beyond the reach of existing networks."

Amazon began building its low-Earth orbit satellite internet service, "Leo," in April. The company plans to complete its acquisition of satellite operator Globalstar next year and start constructing a direct-to-device network in 2028. It has already placed 396 satellites into orbit and said it expects to launch an initial service later this year.

Amazon's low-Earth orbit satellite internet project puts it in direct competition with Elon Musk's Starlink, which already operates more than 10,000 satellites.

Ben Haward, an analyst at New Street Research, estimated that building Amazon's satellite constellation could cost "around $13 billion to $20 billion." The figure assumes that the satellites are broadly similar in design and that most launches are carried out by Blue Origin, the space company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.