Bezos prepares for new administration amid Kuiper delays

Jeff Bezos is expected to meet with the president-elect next week. For Bezos, the new administration will be necessary. This is for thespace race against fellow billionaire Elon Musk.

Bezos was the object of Trump's criticisms though his first term had everything worked out as planned, Amazon's project Kuiper would have begun providing beta services to clients by now.

Kuiper aims to compete with Musk's dominating Starlink satellite internet service. On the contrary, Kuiper is now behind schedule.

Amazon is confronted with the possibility of a new White House administration beset by individuals with ties to Musk's SpaceX.

The first operational satellite launches from Kuiper have already been delayed twice in 2024.

Rocket producer United Launch Alliance's latest delay was due to the necessity of prioritising two missions for the US Space Force. The schedule is uncertain.

ULA — a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin — will not be able to complete those space force launches this year. This is because ULA is investigating a mishap on a flight in October.

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In response to Trump's attacks on the Bezos-owned Washington Post during his first term in office, Amazon filed a lawsuit claiming that Trump had told the Pentagon to "screw Amazon" by excluding it from a bidding process.

Bezos lately has adopted a more accommodating stance. The Amazon founder made an unusual appearance on X after Trump's election to offer hiscongratulationsto the newly elected president.

A representative for Amazon announced Thursday that the firm will be paying 1 million dollars to Trump's inaugural fund.

This is in addition to efforts of meta platforms and other digital companies that are hoping to foster favourable relationships with the new government by contributing to the festivities.

(With inputs from the agencies)