Amazon successfully launched the first operational batch of its Kuiper internet satellites on Monday, after weather delays halted a previous attempt.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carried 27 satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, lifting off just after 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

This marks a significant step in Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which aims to build a broadband satellite constellation to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink.

“We had a nice smooth countdown, beautiful weather, beautiful liftoff, and Atlas V is on its way to orbit to take those 27 Kuiper satellites, put them on their way and really start this new era in internet connectivity,” Caleb Weiss, a systems engineer at ULA, said on the livestream following the launch.

Once the 27 Kuiper satellites separate from the rocket at about 280 miles (450 km) above Earth, Amazon will begin verifying their ability to maneuver autonomously and establish communications with ground teams.

This is a key milestone for Project Kuiper, which was first announced six years ago as Amazon’s ambitious push to provide global internet coverage via low Earth orbit satellites.

Project Kuiper enters a market currently dominated by SpaceX’s Starlink, which has deployed approximately 8,000 satellites—far ahead in terms of scale and operational capacity.

Amazon is spending as much as $10 billion to build the Kuiper network, plans to eventually launch over 3,200 satellites and aims to begin customer pilots in later 2025.