Amazon's third set of operational Kuiper satellites lifted off at 2:30 am EST (06:30 UTC) on Wednesday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket arced downrange over the Atlantic Ocean, heading northeast to place its payload into the Kuiper constellation at an inclination of 51.9 degrees to the equator.

An unlikely collaboration between Amazon and SpaceX shows that practicality can trump rivalry when it comes to the space race.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sends Amazon's Project Kuiper satellites into space. (SpaceX / Amazon via LinkedIn) In a case of strange space bedfellows, SpaceX

SpaceX's Falcon 9 is the only rocket among Amazon's launch providers that has actually flown at the kind of cadence envisioned for the Kuiper network. The Falcon 9 currently flies at an average rate of once every two days, primarily on missions with SpaceX's own Starlink broadband satellites.

SpaceX has been enjoying growing uptake of its internet-from-space Starlink service, but in a weird twist, the company is about to lend a hand to its main rival in the sector.