TeraWave vs Starlink: Bezos-owned Blue Origin to launch 5,400 satellites to rival Musk’s internet firm

Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin on Wednesday announced a plan to deploy 5,408 satellites in space for a communications network that will serve data centers, governments and businesses, jumping into a satellite constellation market dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Deployment of satellites is planned to begin in the last quarter of 2027, Blue Origin said, adding the network is designed to have “data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth.”

That speed, possible with the satellites’ planned optical communications, is extreme by consumer standards and would make the network key for data processing and large-scale government programs. Blue Origin said the network is meant to serve a maximum of roughly 100,000 customers.

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The reveal of TeraWave coincides with a space industry rush to build data centers in space that can meet the soaring demand for large-scale AI data processing, which on Earth requires immense energy and resources as adoption of the technology expands.

The planned network adds another satellite constellation linked to Bezos, executive chairman of Amazon, which is in an early phase of deploying Leo - a network formerly called Project Kuiper involving 3,200 satellites providing internet to consumers and businesses.

Bezos launches new Starlink rival

Musk’s Starlink network of roughly 10,000 satellites is farthest ahead in a global push to put internet infrastructure in space, where swarms of low-orbiting satellites offer more security and higher connection speeds than traditional, unitary satellites farther out in space.

The SpaceX CEO has said he plans to build data centers in space, complementing the Starlink network, while Bezos has predicted such space-based centers will be commonplace in orbit within the next 10 to 20 years.

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Starlink, which has reported more than six million customers across at least 140 countries, targets individual consumers, businesses, governments and, with its Starshield variant, U.S. national security agencies. Amazon Leo, with 180 satellites in space so far, has a similar customer strategy.

A handful of Chinese companies are swiftly deploying similar satellite networks to get up to pace with Starlink, which has proved key for remote communications and geopolitical conflicts.

China is developing new reusable rockets that can loft thousands of these satellites over the next several years for lower costs, a playbook first written by Musk’s SpaceX and its reusable Falcon 9 rocket.

Blue Origin’s reusable New Glenn rocket, which has launched twice but has been slow to achieve a rapid flight rate, will likely be a vital part of TeraWave’s deployment.

Unlike Starlink, the planned network appears off-limits to individual consumers, according to Blue Origin’s statement.

“What makes TeraWave different? It is purpose-built for enterprise customers,” said Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp on X.

Blue Origin’s statement said “TeraWave enterprise-grade user and gateway terminals can be rapidly deployed worldwide and interface with existing high-capacity infrastructure, providing additional route diversity and strengthening overall network resilience,” leaving unclear what types of existing infrastructure the network can work with.

A Blue Origin spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment.