The announcement of the TeraWave launch coincided with an active surge in the entire space industry.
Jeff Bezos's space company Blue Origin has announced plans to deploy 5,408 satellites in orbit to create a new communication network. It will be called TeraWave and will focus on servicing data centers, government entities, and businesses. Thus, Blue Origin is entering the satellite communication network segment, where Elon Musk's SpaceX currently dominates.
The satellites are planned to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2027. The company stated that the network is designed for data transmission speeds of up to 6 terabits per second anywhere on Earth.
By consumer internet standards, this is an extremely high speed. It will be made possible by using optical communication between satellites. Such characteristics make the network particularly important for data processing and the implementation of large-scale government programs. Blue Origin clarified that TeraWave is designed for a maximum of about 100,000 clients.
The announcement of the TeraWave launch coincided with an active surge in the entire space industry towards creating data centers directly in orbit. They are expected to handle the sharply growing demand for computing power for artificial intelligence systems.
The new network will be another satellite constellation associated with Jeff Bezos, who is also the executive chairman of Amazon. The company is currently in the early stages of deploying the Leo network, previously known as Project Kuiper. This project plans to launch about 3,200 satellites. Unlike Blue Origin's network, this project is focused on providing internet access to private users and businesses.
Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network, which consists of about 10,000 devices, has advanced the furthest in the global race to place internet infrastructure in space. The swarms of satellites in low orbit provide higher connection speeds and greater security compared to traditional single satellites located in higher orbits.
According to the company's own data, Starlink serves more than six million customers in at least 140 countries. The network is aimed at private users, businesses, government entities, and also, through a special version called Starshield, at U.S. national security agencies. Amazon's Leo network, which currently has about 180 satellites in orbit, targets the same audience.
Several Chinese companies are also rapidly deploying their own satellite networks, seeking to catch up with Starlink. These projects are developing against the backdrop of the already proven role of satellite systems in providing communication in remote regions, as well as in geopolitical conflict conditions.
At the same time, China is working on creating new reusable launch vehicles. In the coming years, they are expected to allow the launch of thousands of satellites into orbit at lower launch costs. Essentially, this is about replicating the model that Elon Musk first implemented with SpaceX and the reusable Falcon 9 rocket.
For Blue Origin, a similar role in deploying the TeraWave network will likely be played by the New Glenn reusable rocket. It has already completed two launches, but the company is still slowly moving towards a stable and high flight frequency.
However, unlike Starlink, the new Blue Origin network, according to the company's statement, is not initially aimed at private users.
The company explained that the user and gateway terminals of TeraWave, which are ground devices for connecting clients and points of communication between satellites and terrestrial networks, can be quickly deployed almost anywhere in the world. They will be able to connect to the existing high-speed infrastructure, creating additional data transmission routes and increasing the resilience of the entire system. However, it is still unclear which specific elements of this infrastructure the network will be able to work with directly.
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