Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin announced plans to deploy 5,408 satellites to create a high-speed communications network designed to compete with SpaceX and Amazon.
The new network, called TeraWave, will target enterprise, government, and data center customers, offering data speeds of up to 6 terabits per second. Satellites will operate in low Earth orbit and medium Earth orbit, ranging from about 100 miles to 21,000 miles above the planet. Blue Origin expects to begin launching the constellation in the fourth quarter of 2027.
The move puts Bezos in a competitive satellite internet market currently led by SpaceX’s Starlink, which operates over 9,000 satellites and serves roughly 9 million users. Amazon is also building its own constellation, recently rebranded from Project Kuiper to Leo, with 180 satellites launched since April and plans to deploy 3,236 low Earth satellites for enterprise, government, and consumer use. Several future Blue Origin satellite launches are expected to be handled by its own rockets.
Founded by Bezos in 2000, Blue Origin has primarily focused on rocket launches for tourists and research missions. Last January, the company successfully launched its New Glenn rocket for the first time, achieving a milestone in its efforts to expand into larger-scale space operations, though the booster initially failed to land for reuse. In November, Blue Origin successfully landed a New Glenn booster after launching a pair of NASA spacecraft. CEO Dave Limp leads the company, and Bezos has previously predicted Blue Origin could eventually surpass Amazon in scale.
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