Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper)

What it is

Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper, renamed November 2025) is a US low Earth orbit broadband satellite constellation owned by Amazon.com, Inc. and regulated by the US Federal Communications Commission. The FCC authorized 3,236 satellites in July 2020 across three orbital shells at 590 km, 610 km, and 630 km altitude, using Ka and V frequency bands. Amazon committed US$10 billion to build and operate the system. The goal is mass-market global broadband, competing with SpaceX Starlink and China's Qianfan constellation for spectrum, orbital slots, and subscribers.

History

Amazon assembled a small satellite engineering team in 2018 under the Project Kuiper code name. The US FCC granted authorization by a 5-0 vote in July 2020. In April 2022, Amazon announced the largest commercial launch procurement in history: contracts for up to 83 missions with United Launch Alliance (Atlas V and Vulcan rockets), Arianespace (Ariane 6), and Blue Origin (New Glenn). A satellite manufacturing facility in Redmond, Washington targets production of five satellites per day. Full-scale deployment began in April 2025. Amazon retired the Kuiper name on November 13, 2025, rebranding the service as Amazon Leo.

Current state

As of July 2026, Amazon Leo has placed more than 375 satellites in orbit across 14 missions, the third-largest constellation behind Starlink and OneWeb. The Atlas V program concluded with its eighth mission (LA-08, July 2, 2026), having launched 224 satellites at a 100% success rate. Amazon now relies on ULA Vulcan, Arianespace Ariane 6, and SpaceX Falcon 9, with more than 100 launches secured in total. The 18-mission Ariane 6 contract opened with VA269 on June 17, 2026, placing 36 satellites in orbit, the largest single Leo batch to date. The FCC waived Amazon's July 30, 2026 deadline to have half the constellation in orbit, but demoted the spectral priority of satellites launched after the missed milestone, increasing interference risk as rival constellations expand. Beta service in five countries is expected in late 2026 once approximately 578 satellites provide initial coverage. Three terminal models are available: Leo Nano (100 Mbps), Leo Pro (400 Mbps), and Leo Ultra (1 Gbps). The 2026 deployment status and FCC penalty are documented in a linked event node.

Relationships

Amazon Leo's primary commercial rival is SpaceX Starlink, which counted approximately 25 million subscribers by early 2026, with a commanding lead in operational coverage and spectrum coordination. Arianespace (France) is a key launch partner under the 18-Ariane-6-mission contract. ULA, a US Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture, and Blue Origin, founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, supply additional lift. The US FCC sets deployment schedules and holds the spectral-priority lever that determines whether Leo satellites can compete for bandwidth without penalty. Amazon corporate (2025 revenue: US$716.9 billion) funds the program, and Amazon Web Services infrastructure underpins the ground segment.

What to watch

Whether Amazon's launch cadence accelerates enough for the FCC to restore spectral priority. First commercial beta service in the five target countries and comparative latency and throughput versus Starlink. Vulcan rocket qualification and payload volume, as each Vulcan mission carries more satellites than Atlas V did. Satellite manufacturing rates at the Redmond, Washington facility, which must sustain the 3,236-unit build. And whether Amazon's late entry, years behind Starlink, can secure subscriber volume before orbital slots in preferred shells are fully coordinated.