A launch date is set for the first batch of what will be thousands of satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper as the company looks to play catch-up with SpaceX and its Starlink internet constellation.

"No matter how the mission unfolds, this is just the start of our journey, and we have all the pieces in place to learn and adapt as we prepare to launch again and again over the coming years."

Amazon and United Launch Alliance set April 9 as the date for the first launch of full-scale satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper network.

The four-person crew, led by cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang, will spend three to five days on a rare flight path around Earth’s poles.

SpaceX successfully launched Fram2, the first crewed mission to orbit Earth's poles, on Monday night from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The historic mission is carrying four civilians from four countries.