Amazon needs to build up a credible contender to Starlink, the satellite-internet provider owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

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

Amazon.com Inc.’s first batch of production satellites reached low-Earth orbit, the biggest step to date in the company’s effort to establish a business broadcasting internet connectivity from space.