Technologies

Amazon’s Starlink Satellite Rival Plans Wednesday Rocket Launch. How to Watch

Project Kuiper is planning to take a major step forward tomorrow with its first full-scale satellite launch.

Amazon is planning to send 27 low-Earth orbit satellites into space this week, with Project Kuiper setting a launch date of Wednesday, April 9, between 7 and 9 p.m. ET (4-6 p.m. PT).

The launch mission, «KA-01» or Kuiper Atlas 1, will be on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and will take place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Amazon said. The company set up a mission page for updates on the launch and plans to livestream the takeoff.

You can watch the rocket launch live on the mission page or on YouTube.

It’ll be a big step forward for the project, which Amazon announced in 2019 with promises of a $10 billion investment. Now the company is poised to enter the race to provide satellite internet service, a space currently dominated by SpaceX’s Starlink, which has about 7,000 satellites. Amazon’s plans call for 3,200 satellites to be deployed over 80 launches. The company intends to provide internet service with this technology later this year.

Amazon may bring more competition to improve internet services

The literal space race, which includes Starlink, Amazon and other companies such as Viasat, Hughesnet, Eutelsat and China’s SpaceSail, could mean more availability of internet service in far-flung and rural areas that have limited broadband options. Though Starlink is the leader in the space, some of these other companies are continuing to launch satellites and working to deploy high-speed internet in more markets such as Brazil. With more players in the market, that could mean faster and cheaper internet in more areas, although whether that actually bears out for consumers remains to be seen.

Mahdi Eslamimehr, executive vice president at Quandary Peak Research and adjunct professor at the Department of Computer Science at USC, said Amazon is well poised to go up against Starlink. «Amazon has made extensive launch agreements with major providers such as United Launch Alliance (ULA), Arianespace, Blue Origin, and even SpaceX itself, positioning Kuiper as a major challenger due to its expansive infrastructure and significant resources.»

He said, «While Starlink currently enjoys clear market leadership, it faces increasing competition from well-capitalized and strategically agile competitors, specifically from China, suggesting the market will become considerably more competitive in the near future.»

Amazon’s satellite efforts so far, Eslamimehr said, have been promising and successful, at least in the prototype stages. The company has also been testing Amazon Web Services in space. «These developments collectively underscore Amazon’s robust entry into the satellite internet market and reflect positive early momentum in its overall space strategy.»

Beyond how it fares against Starlink and other companies, the Amazon satellite launches are significant in other ways. Eslamimehr said, «Project Kuiper isn’t just about competition; it’s positioned as a critical step toward closing the global digital divide, promising to deliver high-speed internet to underserved communities worldwide.»

Correction, April 4: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of the USC professor and Quandary Peak Research executive vice president. His name is Mahdi Eslamimehr.

Technologies

Kia Is Bringing an Electric Truck to the US: What We Know So Far

Kia is joining the EV pickup segment. Here’s everything you need to know right now.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for April 19, #1400

Here are hints — and the answer — for today’s Wordle No. 1,400 for April 19.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

One of the letters in today’s Wordle puzzle almost never appears in answers — or the English language, for that matter. If that’s not enough of a hint, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. (Look down at the bottom to find this particular letter.) If you need more hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There are two vowels in today’s Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 3: Start letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with I.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends in one of the rarest letters in the alphabet. See our list for a full ranking.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a place where emails are received and stored.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is INBOX.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, April 18, No. 1399 was DIRGE.

Recent Wordle answers

April 14, No. 1395: CREST

April 15, No. 1396: ASHEN

April 16, No. 1397: MORAL

April 17, No. 1398: STOOD

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 19, #208

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 208, for April 19.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Isn’t the purple category in Connections: Sports Edition supposed to be the hardest? Today, I thought it was the easiest — but then I love old stadiums and tend to remember their names. If you do too, you’ll ace at least one grouping today. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Rocky’s stock in trade.

Green group hint: Get those three points.

Blue group hint: Boston hoops stars.

Purple group hint: There used to be a ballpark, as Sinatra sang.