Amazon plans to launch more than 5,000 satellites to provide global data and phone services, as competition heats up in the commercial space sector.
The planned constellation would be a significant increase upon the Jeff Bezos-owned firm’s 390 satellites currently in orbit — a figure dwarfed by Elon Musk’s Starlink, which dominates satellite mobile communications with nearly 11,000 satellites.
Musk also claims a virtual monopoly on launches through SpaceX, which is reportedly mulling a mobile service for US consumers. The two moguls are also competing to design NASA’s next lunar lander, with Blue Origin and SpaceX’s respective models set to begin testing next year.
