Amazon's Starlink rival is ready for lift-off next week – and promises to deliver satellite broadband 'later this year'

• Amazon is launching its first Project Kuiper satellites on April 9
• They're the first step in its plan to offer a new satellite broadband service
• Project Kuiper will launch "later this year" to take on Starlink

The new space race, where tech giants battle to offer us high-speed internet from low-earth orbit, is heating up – Amazon has just announced that its first Project Kuiper satellites will be launching next week to take on Starlink.

The launch of 27 satellites – the first of around 3,200 that Amazon will blast into space – is scheduled to take place at 12pm ET on April 9, weather permitting. More importantly for anyone who's pinning their hopes on satellite-based broadband solving their dead zones, Amazon says "we expect to begin delivering service to customers later this year".

Like the Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX, Amazon's system will be a ...