Outer-Space Cloud Race: AWS Grabs Big Lead Over Microsoft and Google

It’s hard to avoid being impressed by Amazon’s vision and ambition. The company’s decision to provide cutting-edge cloud services for rocket launches, outer-space projects and everything in-between is a perfect example.

While it’s a classic vertical-industry play, with AWS looking to develop services across a wide range of terrestrial and space-based operations, there’s still something jarring about a new enterprise-cloud business unit called Aerospace and Satellite Solutions.

And to the very best of my knowledge, AWS has stolen the march on major competitors Microsoft and Google Cloud by making this leap into the space market. 

A cnbc.com article by Michael Sheetz offers this perspective from one of the customers of the new business unit: “Together, we share a vision to help our customers access data faster, and gain new insights from sensors in space that make data even more accessible,” Lockheed Martin executive vice president Rick Ambrose said in a statement.

That cnbc.com article also noted that AWS vice president Teresa Carlson said the opportunity is definitely a big one and plays right into the strengths of AWS.

“The aerospace and satellite industry needs the agility, speed, and flexibility that cloud offers,” Carlson is quoted in the article. “It’s one of the first things I heard from a lot of my defense and intelligence customers in the space arena.” 

You know, I kinda like being able to write about the outer-space Cloud Wars, and I hope other big tech vendors jump in. If so, maybe I’ll come up with a catchy name—maybe something like “Star Wars.”

On second thought, nah—that’s a dumb name—would never catch on…

Subscribe to the Cloud Wars Newsletter for in-depth analysis of the major cloud vendors from the perspective of business customers. It’s free, it’s exclusive and it’s great!