Blue Origin unveils terawave, a vast satellite network designed to rival Starlink’s dominance

Blue Origin, the space company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has announced plans to launch more than 5,400 satellites into orbit, marking a bold escalation in the race to control space-based internet communications.

The project, called TeraWave, is being positioned as a direct challenger to Starlink, the satellite internet network that currently dominates the global market. According to Blue Origin, the new system will deliver continuous worldwide connectivity and move enormous volumes of data at speeds far beyond those offered by existing commercial satellite services.

At full capacity, TeraWave is expected to support upload and download speeds of up to six terabits per second. The company says this performance level would allow for rapid data transmission on a scale designed for data centres, businesses and governments rather than individual consumers.

Despite the scale of the announcement, TeraWave would still operate with fewer satellites than Starlink, which already has thousands of units in orbit and continues to expand. Starlink offers internet and phone services directly to households and individuals, while Blue Origin has made clear that its focus lies elsewhere.

The company said TeraWave will prioritise institutional and governmental users, aiming to provide reliable, high-capacity connectivity for critical infrastructure and large organisations. This distinction places the two systems in partial competition rather than direct overlap.

Blue Origin plans to begin launching the first TeraWave satellites by the end of 2027. No timeline has yet been provided for when the full constellation will be operational.

The move places Blue Origin in competition not only with Starlink but also alongside another satellite initiative linked to Bezos himself. Amazon, where Bezos remains executive chairman after stepping down as chief executive in 2021, is developing its own satellite network known as Leo.

Leo currently has around 180 satellites in orbit following recent launches and is expected to expand to more than 3,000 satellites. Unlike TeraWave, Amazon’s satellite system is aimed at the general public and is intended to deliver high-speed internet access to households worldwide. Amazon has not confirmed when the Leo network will be fully deployed.

The satellite announcement comes as Blue Origin continues to build momentum across multiple fronts. In November, the company successfully landed a rocket booster on a floating platform at sea for the first time, a technical milestone previously achieved only by one rival.

Earlier this year, Blue Origin also carried out an 11-minute suborbital space flight featuring an all-female crew. The mission included Bezos’ wife Lauren Sánchez, singer Katy Perry and broadcaster Gayle King. While the flight generated significant publicity, it also attracted criticism from commentators who described the trip as tone deaf, given its cost and brevity during a period of economic strain.

With TeraWave, Blue Origin is signalling a major strategic shift, expanding beyond launch vehicles and space tourism into the fiercely competitive satellite communications sector. As thousands more satellites prepare to crowd low Earth orbit, the battle for control of global connectivity is intensifying.

The announcement underscores how space is rapidly becoming a contested arena not just for exploration, but for power, data and influence on Earth.