> Science SpaceX on Wednesday launched the third batch of satellites for its rival Amazon's Project Kuiper designed to provide broadband internet services from space. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off with 24 satellites at 12 pm IST from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. ALSO SEE: ULA Launches First Mission With Jeff Bezos's Internet Providing Amazon Satellites "Falcon 9 deployed the satellites at an altitude of 289 miles (465 kilometers) above Earth, at which point the Kuiper team took over command of the mission from our mission operations center in Redmond, Washington," Amazon said in a statement. "From there, we began to perform initial satellite health checks as we prepare to raise the satellites to their assigned altitude of 630 km, where they will be fully commissioned as part of our operational satellite constellation." Prior to SpaceX, Amazon tapped United Launch Alliance (ULA) which launched the first two missions on the Atlas V rocket on April 29 and June 23. Project Kuiper puts Amazon in direct competition with SpaceX's Starlink which are offering internet services to over 100 countries through more than 7,800 satellites. Reports say Starlink's constellation will grow significantly in the future housing more than 42,000 satellites.