Amazon has said that it plans to launch its first Project Kuiper internet satellites in the first half of 2024.

Project Kuiper is Amazon’s attempt to enter into the satellite internet space which currently has Elon Musk-founded SpaceX as its most visible player. Amazon plans to invest $10 billion in the network, and believes that its experience from producing millions of consumer electronics devices will give it a competitive edge.

Speaking at a conference in Washington, the company’s senior vice president of Amazon devices Dave Limp said: "We'll definitely be beta testing with commercial customers in 2024.”

The company has a regulatory mandate to launch at least half of a total of 3,236 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites by 2026, with Limp saying that Amazon will make “three to five” satellites a day. This would see Amazon approach SpaceX’s current total of over 4,000 satellites in space.

Amazon will launch two prototype satellites this year on a rocket from United Launch Alliance, the joint venture of Boeing-Lockheed.

The company also on Tuesday revealed three different terminals to connect customers with Kuiper satellites in orbit.

These range from the standard 11-inch square antenna which will provide speeds of up to 400 megabits per second to the large 19 by 30 inch satellite for businesses, telcos and governments which will have a download speed of up to 1 gigabit per second.

The consumer oriented standard satellite will cost less than $400 to produce – SpaceX’s consumer Starlink terminal is priced at $599.

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