Amazon steps up Its game with 400 satellites in space

Amazon has big plans this summer for its satellite internet project. Following a recent launch, the Leo constellation now has 394 satellites orbiting Earth, and the company says it plans to launch its first service as early as this year.

Competing with Starlink

On Thursday, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket placed 29 satellites into low Earth orbit. Amazon Leo, formerly Project Kuiper, is thus moving closer to the commercial launch the company has been working toward for years. According to Amazon, there are now enough“flight-ready” satellites to serve its first customers later this year.

This network is set to compete with Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service. Amazon aims to offer download speeds ranging from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps, depending on the antenna customers choose. The company is thus targeting a vast market for high-speed internet in areas where fiber-optic or mobile networks are unavailable.

However, Amazon still lags significantly behind the market leader. Starlink now has more than 10,000 satellites in orbit around Earth and serves millions of customers worldwide, while Amazon is only at the very beginning of its deployment. The company ultimately plans to launch more than 7,700 satellites, but its current U.S. license covers only an initial group of 3,232 satellites. This license has also been a source of pressure.

Originally, Amazon was supposed to have launched half of its planned constellation by July 2026, but that deadline will not be met. Earlier this year, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the company an extension until 2028 for this first half, while maintaining the 2029 deadline for the entire constellation.

What happens now?

Amazon says that a new, purpose-built production and integration facility should help accelerate the pace of launches. Upcoming missions will use the Vulcan rocket, which can carry heavier payloads than the Atlas V. This should speed up deployment and provide better coverage following the first commercial launch.

The company has also already outlined its European ambitions. The telecommunications regulator Ofcom has previously granted Amazon Leo a license to provide satellite internet service in the United Kingdom. Amazon has not yet revealed the exact cost of this service. The big question, therefore, is not whether Amazon Leo will see the light of day, but whether, with such a late entry into the market, it will actually be able to catch up with what Starlink has already established.