Amazon.com on Wednesday said it plans to launch the first 27 satellites for its Project Kuiper internet network next week, pinning down a long-awaited start to the company's plan to deploy a massive constellation that will rival Elon Musk's Starlink system.

Amazon's Project Kuiper facility is shown in an aerial image at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., January 5, 2025. REUTERS/Joe Skipper

In a statement, Amazon said it will launch the "Kuiper Atlas 1" mission on April 9 at noon EDT (1600 GMT) from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. An Atlas 5 rocket from the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance will send the satellites to space, as part of a giant multi-launch deal Amazon signed in 2022.

The mission will kick off Amazon's full-scale deployment of Kuiper, a mesh-like network designed to top 3,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit that will provide high-speed internet globally and rival SpaceX's Starlink, which has more than 7,000 satellites currently in space.