The first operational batch of Project Kuiper satellites reached orbit Monday, kickstarting the deployment of a long-delayed broadband constellation.

Foreshadowing the future, two rockets lifted a combined 50 broadband satellites for two rival space-based internet companies into low-Earth orbit Monday, April 28, from Florida's Space Coast — and both rockets launched within a 3½-hour span.

Amazon’s first group of internet satellites was sent into orbit on Monday, marking the official start of a long-delayed project to compete with SpaceX’s Starlinks. The United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket took off from Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida,