Blue Origin has announced a new satellite internet network named TeraWave. This enterprise-focused service is designed for government, data center, and corporate customers, promising data speeds of up to 6 terabits per second.
The TeraWave constellation will be a hybrid system. It will consist of 5,280 satellites in low-Earth orbit and 128 satellites in medium-Earth orbit. The first satellites are scheduled for deployment in late 2027. The low-Earth orbit satellites will use radio frequency connectivity with a maximum speed of 144 gigabits per second. The medium-Earth orbit satellites will use optical links to achieve the full 6 terabit per second speed. For comparison, SpaceX’s current Starlink service for consumers offers a maximum of 400 megabits per second.
According to Blue Origin, TeraWave is intended to add a space-based layer to existing network infrastructure, providing connectivity to locations unreachable by traditional means. The company stated it identified an unmet need for enterprise-grade internet with higher speeds, symmetrical upload and download, greater redundancy, and rapid scalability.
This announcement follows the recent rebranding of Amazon’s own satellite network, called Leo, which is geared toward consumers with more traditional broadband speeds. Together, these two networks from Jeff Bezos’ companies could provide more robust competition to SpaceX’s Starlink, which currently leads the satellite internet market.
Blue Origin is expanding its role as a commercial space company. Known for its New Shepard suborbital rocket, it recently successfully launched its larger New Glenn rocket twice, landing the booster on its second attempt. The company also launched its first commercial payload for NASA and plans a robotic moon landing mission this year. With TeraWave, Blue Origin adds satellite manufacturing and operation to its growing portfolio of services.