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

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.

Amazon’s race to challenge SpaceX in orbit is getting a helping hand from its chief competitor: SpaceX, which will launch the next batch of Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet satellites skyward on Wednesday.