Highlights
- Blue Origin to launch over 5,400 TeraWave satellites by end of 2027 for global internet coverage.
- Network promises speeds up to 6 terabits per second, significantly faster than current commercial rivals.
- Service targets data centres, businesses and governments rather than individual consumers.
Blue Origin has announced plans to deploy more than 5,400 satellites into orbit, creating a new global communications network called TeraWave that will compete directly with Elon Musk's established Starlink service.
The satellite constellation, revealed by Jeff Bezos's rocket company, will provide continuous worldwide internet access with unprecedented data transfer capabilities.
At peak performance, TeraWave will enable upload and download speeds reaching 6 terabits per second substantially faster than existing commercial satellite services currently available.
However, the network will remain considerably smaller than Starlink, which presently dominates the satellite internet market.
While Starlink, operated by Musk's SpaceX, serves individual customers with internet and phone services, Blue Origin has positioned TeraWave specifically for data centres, businesses and governmental organisations.
The announcement places Blue Origin in competition with Amazon's Leo satellite venture, Amazon's Leo currently operates approximately 180 satellites, having launched dozens more just last week, and aims to expand its constellation beyond 3,000 satellites, focusing primarily on providing high-speed internet access to consumers globally.
Blue Origin confirmed TeraWave satellite launches will commence by the conclusion of 2027.
The company has demonstrated growing technical capabilities, successfully landing a rocket booster on a floating platform last November, a feat previously achieved only by SpaceX.
In April, Blue Origin conducted an 11-minute space flight featuring an all-female crew including Bezos's wife Lauren Sánchez, singer Katy Perry and CBS presenter Gayle King. Critics described the celebrity flight as "tone deaf" given economic difficulties facing ordinary people.
The satellite internet sector continues expanding rapidly as multiple companies pursue orbital dominance, though questions remain about long-term commercial viability.
