--- title: "Amazon Wants to Join SpaceX and Launch 3,200 Internet Satellites" description: "Amazon has officially filed an application with the Federal Communications Comission (FCC) to launch some 3,236 broadband satellites. The online retailer is trying to connect the remaining tens of millions of people to the internet that don’t have access yet as part of Project Kuiper. Starlink Disturbance The move comes after SpaceX unleashed 60 of […]" date: "2019-07-09" modified: "2019-07-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/amazon-launch-3200-internet-satellites" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "Amazon" - "jeff bezos" - "satellites" - "SpaceX" - "starlink" - "the digest" --- # Amazon Wants to Join SpaceX and Launch 3,200 Internet Satellites ![Amazon has officially filed an application with the Federal Communications Comission (FCC) to launch some 3,236 broadband satellites.]() *\Image: Shutterstock/Victor Tangermann\* ## Project Kuiper Amazon has [officially filed]() an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch [3,236 broadband satellites](). The online retailer is trying to connect the remaining tens of millions of people to the internet that don't have access yet as part of Project Kuiper. "The goal here is broadband everywhere," Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said during the company's [re:MARS conference]() earlier this year while discussing the project. ## Starlink Disturbance The move comes after SpaceX [unleashed 60]() of its Starlink microsatellites into orbit back in May. The FCC [approved SpaceX’s request]() in November to launch an additional 7,518, bringing up the total of approved satellites to almost 12,000. SpaceX [received a good deal of criticism]() from the scientific community after the launch, when astronomers found the new Starlink satellites turned out to be far brighter than expected, potentially impacting the view of the night sky. ## Good Altitude Amazon is planning to release its satellites at altitudes ranging between 366 and 391 miles (590 and 630 kilometers) — roughly the same as SpaceX's existing and planned Starlink satellites. Both Amazon and SpaceX [are promising]() that the satellites will de-orbit themselves and burn up in Earth's atmosphere without adding to the growing space debris problem. **READ MORE:** [Amazon asks FCC for approval of Project Kuiper broadband satellite operation]() \[*GeekWire*\] **More on Starlink:** *[SpaceX Being Sketch(X) About the 3 Starlink Satellites That Failed]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()