Amazon’s Project Kuiper is more than the company’s response to SpaceX

&quot;If Kuiper succeeds [...]&quot;<p>That&#x27;s the biggest if clause you will ever see about this because in order for it to succeed at all BO needs to actually launch something to orbit at least once before we talk about success of a commercial product on top of their rockets.<p>I follow up SpaceX quite closely, I admit, but any news about products that absolutely depend on the launch capability of BO is vaporware at most and most probably a PR stunt so they look relevant. They need to deliver something, anything, it&#x27;s that simple.

I feel like this massively overstates the advantages of an AWS to satellite link. They aren’t going to put tiny regions in space, so it’s just about data transit. Nobody would suggest AWS should start a cell phone company or fiber ISP just for bundling that with AWS. IP, possibly with a VPN, is a very solved issue for AWS access. It’s how 100% of their customers use AWS now, after all.

&quot;With Amazon, it’s a whole different ballgame,&quot; says Zac Manchester, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford University. “The thing that makes Amazon different from SpaceX and OneWeb is they have so much other stuff going for them.” If Kuiper succeeds, Amazon can not only offer global satellite broadband access—it can include that access as part of its Amazon Web Services (AWS), which already offers resources for cloud computing, machine learning, data analytics, and more.&quot;<p>Does that quote sound fishy or what?

Additionally I think replicating AWS is much easier these days than replicating the entire technology stack needed to competatively launch &#x2F; maintain an entire fleet of satellites. Replicating AWS is a solved problem... throw money at it and you can build data center services. Affordably building and launching satellites at scale is much harder.<p>Seems like SpaceX matching AWS would take much less effort than the reverse.

Could Amazon Prime integration be more relevant than AWS integration? More services for consumers against fixed monthly fee.

Feels like fanboy of Amazon wrote &quot; yeah &quot; this service + this service will be something sooo great, in practice ... Any satellite service solving last mile access and maybe potentially a bit low delay DC exchange when traffic is not very high. Means some exclusive, expensive service. That can be offered by any other provdier by purchasing similar package from Starlink or any other competitor.<p>In real life, lets be realistic Starlink is something will solve suburb access, also gives them an ability to exercise before Mars&#x2F;Moon&#x2F;something_else deployment. The impact on DC will be tiny.

There are definitely advantages to having an always-present network and not relying on terrestrial networks operated by third parties. Many big AWS users are companies with extensive sensor networks. Replacing ancient SCADA networks with high bandwidth space networks that connect to your back end inside AWS is a strong value prop.

Bizarre claim. In what way would Starlink have any less access to AWS? Its... the internet<p>&gt; “If Kuiper succeeds, Amazon can not only offer global satellite broadband access—it can include that access as part of its Amazon Web Services (AWS), which already offers resources for cloud computing, machine learning, data analytics, and more”

“ If Kuiper succeeds, Amazon can not only offer global satellite broadband access—it can include that access as part of its Amazon Web Services (AWS), which already offers resources for cloud computing, machine learning, data analytics, and more.”<p>No they can’t. A handful of Kuiper subscribers in Los Angeles can saturate all of available bandwidth in LA. These satellite constellations are only going to be useful for subscribers in relatively remote and less dense areas.

I don’t get this article. How should an ISP benefit from being a cloud provider? He says that they’re going to be able to « move data to and from AWS » or something... 1) that’s a terrible idea it will be slow 2) Starlink should work just as well for that.

The synergy of using AWS ground stations for customers as well as their own use is an interesting advantage. SpaceX has to spend on ground stations and won&#x27;t make it up until their service goes online, while Amazon can begin recovering their costs right away. And it just plugs in to all their other AWS services as well. Plus Amazon of course has all the best on the ground network infrastructure already in place, SpaceX will have to develop that.<p>Is there any indication of how many customers they have or how much revenue they get from it?

I know this might sound a bit cheap but I think there are national security concerns that are worth mentioning. You simply can’t rely on satellites for domestic backhaul unless you’re prepared for it to go away as soon as a war starts.<p>If a simpleton like me is capable of taking a Yagi into my backyard and talking on AMSAT birds with a 5 watt handheld radio, it’s not entirely unreasonable to believe that someone well funded would be capable of tracking and destroying a cubesat in orbit.

To some extent Tesla could be Starlink&#x27;s AWS. Every Tesla user could be a potential starlink customer. Could we even imagine a more efficient data collection?

&gt; Ka band (26.5 to 40 gigahertz)<p>I confess I didn&#x27;t research it before asking but how does it withstand the attenuation due to bad weather, rain and storms. OK, at worst it should penetrate about 10 km of clouds and rains and an antenna on the ground could be farther away than that, but the source of the signal is at least 10 times more distant (100 times weaker for the same power?)

I don&#x27;t get main point of this article, ok, any cloud provider tomorrow will buy access point from star link how it will make it different to AWS + their satellite services ?

This article is irrelevant, put something in space and maybe it’s meaningful.

“They own all these things the other guys don’t,” says Manchester. “In a lot of ways, Amazon has a grander vision. They’re not trying to be a telco.”<p>Damn SpaceX and their mediocre ambitions like <i>colonising Mars</i> (◔_◔)