Amazon Web Services Forms Space Division

Your palate cleanser for today: Amazon Web Services is launching its own Space Force.

On Tuesday, Amazon announced the new Aerospace and Satellite Solutions business segment, which will sell AWS services to private and government space ventures. Retired Air Force Major General Clint Crosier, who helped stand up the U.S. Space Force, will lead the business unit.

• Shot: AWS started as a means to satisfy Amazon’s online needs, and eventually became a lucrative business division.
• Chaser: AWS space force customers include Amazon’s Project Kuiper and Blue Origin, per GeekWire. Project Kuiper aims to launch a constellation of low-orbit, internet-beaming satellites, while Blue Origin is Jeff Bezos’s private space venture.

Bottom line: The booming space sector has cloud computing needs.