Amazon Is Launching A Massive Amount Of Satellites Around The World—Here's Why

Amazon is getting in on the space game in a big way with a constellation of over 3,200 satellites.

Code-named Project Kuiper, the satellites will be placed in low-earth orbit and will be used to provide internet service to "unserved and underserved communities around the world."

The first whisperings of Project Kuiper first came into the public attention last year when TJI Research published a story sharing Amazon Web Services (AWS) job listings looking for people for a "Space and Satellite Project."

Earlier this week, GeekWire noted that Kuiper Systems LLC has made three filings with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The ITU oversees telecom satellite operarions, so it will ultimately have to approve Amazon's new constellation before it can be implemented.

Amazon has since confirmed that Kuiper Systems is an Amazon project.

They aren't the only company looking to provide internet service via satellite, though. According to The Verge, SpaceX recently received permission to launch a constellation of over 12,000 satellites to be used for its Starlink program.

The goal of both programs (and others planned by OneWeb and Facebook) is to provide reliable internet anywhere in the world.

Some people raised the issue of space debris, and whether adding to that is really a good idea. These included Greg Wyler, the founder of OneWeb.

Some were excited to hear about the possibility of reliable internet access in rural areas.

Having reliable internet access nearly anywhere in the world sounds too good to be true but with SpaceX and Amazon both planning to launch satellites, it may be our reality in the not-too-distant future.