Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin has announced plans to build a global satellite internet network designed to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink, signaling a new phase in the intensifying competition for control of space-based communications, according to the BBC. The network, called TeraWave, would involve launching more than 5,400 satellites into orbit, positioning Blue Origin as a serious contender in a market currently dominated by SpaceX.
Blue Origin says TeraWave will deliver continuous global connectivity with an emphasis on extremely high data throughput. At peak performance, the system is expected to support transfer speeds of up to six terabits per second, far exceeding what current commercial satellite services typically provide. Unlike Starlink, which focuses heavily on consumer internet and mobile phone connectivity, TeraWave is being positioned as an infrastructure-grade network aimed at data centers, large enterprises, and government users.
Even at full deployment, however, Blue Origin’s constellation would remain smaller than Starlink’s. SpaceX has already placed several thousand satellites into low Earth orbit, giving it a commanding lead in both scale and operational experience. Starlink’s early and aggressive rollout has allowed it to secure millions of users worldwide, particularly in regions with limited terrestrial broadband access.
The competitive landscape is further complicated by Amazon, the technology company Bezos founded and still serves as executive chairman. Amazon is developing its own satellite broadband system, known as Project Kuiper, which currently has around 180 satellites in orbit and plans to deploy more than 3,000 in total. Kuiper is aimed largely at consumer broadband, placing it in more direct competition with Starlink than Blue Origin’s business-focused TeraWave.
Blue Origin says launches for the TeraWave network are expected to begin by the end of 2027. The announcement follows a period of growing technical momentum for the company. In November, it successfully landed a rocket booster on a floating platform at sea, a milestone previously achieved only by SpaceX. The company has also drawn public attention through high-profile suborbital missions, including an April flight featuring an all-female crew of celebrities and public figures.
Critics have questioned the optics of such missions during a period of economic strain, but the TeraWave announcement underscores Blue Origin’s longer-term ambitions beyond tourism. If successful, the project would expand Bezos’ footprint across multiple layers of the space economy, from launch services to orbital infrastructure.
As satellite networks become increasingly central to global communications, defense, and data transport, the rivalry between Bezos and Musk is shifting from rockets to orbit-wide systems. The race now centers not just on reaching space, but on who will ultimately control the invisible highways of data that circle the planet.