Amazon Leo

AActiveFounded 2019🇺🇸Redmond, Washington

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CEO

Rajeev Badyal (VP, Amazon Leo)

Division of

Amazon

Data verified as of Jul 21, 2026

Summary

Amazon Leo — Amazon's satellite division, launched as Project Kuiper in 2019 and rebranded November 13, 2025 — is a low Earth orbit broadband network for customers and communities beyond the reach of existing terrestrial infrastructure. Led by VP Rajeev Badyal from Redmond, Washington, it combines thousands of satellites built at a Kirkland factory (up to five per day), a global ground network integrated with AWS, and a three-terminal hardware lineup: Leo Nano, Leo Pro, and Leo Ultra. The enterprise beta went live April 8, 2026 with partners including Verizon, AT&T, Vodafone, JetBlue, and NASA; after ULA's final Atlas V flight (LA-08) on July 2, 2026, about 396 production satellites are in orbit and Amazon says it has enough capacity to open commercial service in late 2026. The FCC granted a waiver June 5, 2026 for missing the July 30 50%-deployment milestone (1,618 of 3,236 satellites), imposing a temporary spectrum-priority reduction on post-July-30 satellites until March 2028. The $11.57B Globalstar acquisition (expected to close 2027) adds direct-to-device capability, Delta signed for a 500-aircraft Wi-Fi rollout beginning 2028, and a July 2026 deal makes South Africa's Herotel the first African ISP to distribute Leo residential service ('evry, powered by Amazon Leo', launching 2027).

Company OverviewRead the long-form profile of Amazon Leo

Main Products

Amazon Leo Constellation

Enterprise Beta — Commercial Launch Late 2026

Low Earth orbit broadband system built around more than 3,000 satellites at 590–630 km with 100 Gbps optical inter-satellite links, a global ground network integrated with AWS, and a three-terminal customer hardware lineup. The network is designed to support residential broadband, enterprise and government links, aviation connectivity, maritime use cases, and telecom backhaul.

~394 operational satellites in orbit (398 launched) after LA-08 (29 satellites on ULA's final Atlas V 551) launched July 2, 2026 — Amazon's most recent mission. Enterprise beta went live April 8, 2026 with major carrier, airline, and enterprise customers. Amazon says it now has enough satellites to begin initial commercial service later in 2026, a slip from CEO Andy Jassy's earlier mid-2026 target. FCC granted a waiver June 5 for missing the July 30, 2026 50%-deployment deadline; satellites launched after July 30 carry temporary reduced spectrum priority until March 2028.

Satellites Deployed~394 operational (398 launched, after LA-08, July 2, 2026)

Initial Constellation3,236

Orbital Altitude590-630 km

Launch Manifest100+ missions

Max Terminal Speed1 Gbps down / 400 Mbps up

Leo Terminals (Nano / Pro / Ultra)

In Production

Three-tier customer terminal family with custom Amazon silicon: the portable 7-inch Leo Nano (up to 100 Mbps), the mainstream 11-inch Leo Pro (up to 400 Mbps, expected to cost under $400 to produce), and the enterprise-grade Leo Ultra (1 Gbps down / 400 Mbps up). A low-profile aviation phased-array antenna (1 Gbps per aircraft, no moving parts, one-day install) was unveiled in April 2026.

The production-ready Leo Ultra was unveiled in November 2025 alongside the Amazon Leo rebrand; consumer pricing has not yet been announced ahead of the late-2026 commercial launch.

Leo NanoUp to 100 Mbps (7-inch, 2.2 lb)

Leo ProUp to 400 Mbps (11-inch; expected <$400 to produce)

Leo Ultra1 Gbps down / 400 Mbps up (enterprise, custom silicon)

What's Next

Sustain an aggressive 2026–2027 launch cadence toward the 50% milestone

After the July 2, 2026 LA-08 mission (ULA's final Atlas V 551) lifted the production fleet to about 396 satellites, Amazon must keep launching at scale — the next mission is the first ULA Vulcan Centaur flight for Leo (LV-01, ~45 satellites) targeted for September 2026, with 20+ missions planned in 2026 and 30+ in 2027 across Vulcan, Ariane 6, New Glenn, and Falcon 9. New Glenn's availability is a risk after a first stage exploded during a May 28, 2026 static-fire test at LC-36 (return to flight targeted before end of 2026). Reaching the 1,618-satellite 50% threshold before March 2028 would immediately recover the spectrum priority temporarily lost by missing the July 30, 2026 FCC deployment milestone.

2026-2027

Launch initial commercial service in late 2026

Transition from enterprise beta (live since April 8, 2026) to broader commercial service, now expected later in 2026 after the mid-2026 target slipped. With the early-July Atlas V launch lifting the constellation to 396 satellites, Amazon Leo VP Chris Weber says the fleet is now large enough for 'continuous service across initial latitudes'; the initial commercial launch will focus on enterprise, government, and mobility customers in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, and Germany before expanding coverage toward the equator.

Late 2026

Close the $11.57B Globalstar acquisition and integrate D2D capabilities

Complete the Globalstar transaction (announced April 14, 2026 at ~$11.57B / $90 per share, expected to close 2027) and fold Globalstar's 100+ country spectrum licences, Band 53/n53 spectrum, 24 LEO satellites, and direct-to-device expertise into an advanced Amazon Leo D2D network planned for 2028 — while preserving Globalstar's support of Apple's Emergency SOS service.

2027

Execute Delta and JetBlue aviation deployments

Begin installing Amazon Leo hardware on 500 Delta Air Lines aircraft for a 2028 rollout and on selected JetBlue aircraft for 2027 — together covering two of the U.S.'s largest carriers with next-generation in-flight connectivity powered by Leo and integrated with AWS services.

2027-2028

Track Record

0 of 1 announced date hit · 1 slipped

Launch commercial service in mid-2026

Target Mid-2026 · Resolved Jul 11, 2026

The mid-2026 commercial launch CEO Andy Jassy targeted in his shareholder letter did not happen; after the early-July 2026 Atlas V launch brought the constellation to 396 satellites, Amazon said initial commercial service is now expected 'later this year'. The milestone was rescheduled to late 2026.

Slipped

Recent News

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Jul 8

Amazon says Leo has enough satellites to start service this year

Amazon said on July 2 that it has now deployed enough satellites to begin offering commercial Leo broadband service later in 2026, after a United Launch Alliance Atlas V added 29 spacecraft to bring the low-Earth-orbit constellation to roughly 396 satellites. The milestone moves Amazon closer to competing directly with SpaceX's Starlink, which operates about 10,000 satellites and serves more than 12 million customers. Amazon plans an eventual fleet of more than 3,000 satellites and has lined up launches with ULA, Arianespace, Blue Origin and SpaceX.

Jul 2

ULA flies final Atlas V 551 on Amazon Leo mission

United Launch Alliance launched the last Atlas V in its powerful 551 configuration in the early hours of July 2 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral, carrying 29 Amazon Leo broadband satellites — a roughly 18-ton payload that tied the record for the heaviest load ever flown on an Atlas V. It was Amazon Leo's eighth and final launch on Atlas V, with future constellation flights shifting to ULA's next-generation Vulcan Centaur. Amazon said its low-Earth-orbit network stood at about 367 satellites before the mission, on the way to a planned fleet of more than 3,000.

United Launch Alliance

Jun 19

Ariane 6 lofts 36 Amazon Leo satellites in record payload

Arianespace launched 36 Amazon Leo broadband satellites aboard an Ariane 64 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on June 17 — four more than each of the two previous Amazon missions and the heaviest payload ever flown by an Ariane rocket. The flight debuted the launcher's upgraded P160C solid boosters and was the third Ariane 6 mission dedicated to Amazon's constellation, deploying the spacecraft to roughly 465 km. The added capacity matters as Amazon races to build out its Leo network while Blue Origin's New Glenn remains grounded after a May 28 pad explosion.

Jun 17

ULA's Vulcan flies first national security mission, USSF-106

United Launch Alliance launched its Vulcan rocket on the USSF-106 mission for the U.S. Space Force on June 11, the rocket's first national security launch and ULA's 101st national security mission overall. The flight followed an anomaly investigation into a Vulcan solid rocket booster issue, resolved after a successful Northrop Grumman GEM 63XL static fire test in mid-April. ULA expects to fly 20 to 25 missions in 2026, including a September Vulcan launch carrying 45 Amazon Leo satellites on an optimized Centaur V upper stage.

United Launch Alliance

Jun 13

FCC waives Amazon Leo's July 2026 half-constellation deadline

In an order dated June 5, the FCC waived Amazon Leo's requirement to place half of its 3,232-satellite Gen1 constellation — 1,616 spacecraft — in orbit by July 30, 2026, after Amazon said in January it could not meet the interim milestone and asked for a two-year extension. Rather than grant the extension, the agency eliminated the half-deployment deadline while keeping the July 30, 2029 full-deployment requirement intact, and imposed a penalty: Amazon temporarily loses priority spectrum status for any satellites not operational by July 30, 2026, with the chance to reclaim it in March 2028 or once it hits the 50% milestone. The relief matters because Amazon's deployment leans on Blue Origin's New Glenn and ULA's Vulcan, and New Glenn remains grounded after a May 28 pad explosion.

Operations & Revenue

StatusEnterprise Beta — Commercial Launch Pending

Enterprise beta went live April 8, 2026, with Verizon, AT&T, Vodafone, JetBlue, NBN Co, NASA, Hunt Energy, and Crane Worldwide testing the network. After the July 2, 2026 LA-08 launch (ULA's final Atlas V 551, 29 satellites) lifted the fleet to about 394 operational satellites in orbit (398 launched), Amazon said it now has enough satellites to begin initial commercial Leo broadband service later in 2026 — a slip from CEO Andy Jassy's earlier mid-2026 target. On June 5, 2026, the FCC granted Amazon a waiver of the July 30 50%-deployment deadline (1,618 of 3,236 satellites), imposing temporary spectrum priority demotion for post-July-30 satellites until March 2028 or until the 50% milestone is reached — the delay attributed to launch vehicle availability. Amazon still must complete all 3,236 satellites by July 30, 2029.

Revenue Streams

Residential and Small-Business Broadband

Consumer and SMB subscriptions delivered through Leo Nano and Leo Pro terminals for locations that lack reliable terrestrial broadband coverage — sold directly and through ISP distribution partners, starting with South Africa's Herotel ('evry, powered by Amazon Leo', launching 2027).

Enterprise and Government Connectivity

Private networking, direct cloud connectivity, and managed broadband services for enterprise and public-sector customers using Leo Pro and Leo Ultra hardware.

Telecom Backhaul

Backhaul and network-extension services for carriers and connectivity providers, including AT&T in the U.S. and Vanu's rural Africa deployments.

Aviation Connectivity

In-flight connectivity for commercial airlines. Delta Air Lines signed March 31, 2026 for a 500-aircraft rollout starting 2028, integrating Leo with AWS and AI for the full travel experience. JetBlue also signed for a 2027 hardware installation program. Delta is the largest airline customer and chose Leo over Starlink.

Maritime Connectivity

Reseller-led connectivity services for ships and offshore operations through Amazon Leo's first maritime channel partners, ELCOME and MTN.

Key Metrics

Employees

2,000+ (Puget Sound: Redmond R&D, Kirkland factory, Bellevue)

Est. Annual Revenue

Enterprise beta revenue since April 2026; initial commercial service now expected later in 2026 (mid-2026 target slipped); Delta Airlines (500 planes, 2028) and JetBlue aviation deals represent future large revenue streams

Satellites Deployed

~394 operational in orbit (398 launched) after LA-08 — ULA's final Atlas V 551 for Leo — on July 2, 2026

Initial Constellation

3,236 satellites (Gen1)

Launch Manifest

100+ missions secured (15 flown): 9 Atlas V (complete), 38 ULA Vulcan (first ~Sept 2026), 18 Ariane 6, 12+15-option New Glenn, 13 Falcon 9

Factory Output

Up to 5 satellites/day peak capacity (Kirkland, WA — 172,000 sq ft)

Committed Investment

$10B+

FCC Spectrum Status

FCC waiver in place for the July 30, 2026 50%-deployment deadline (1,618 of 3,236 satellites); with only ~396 in orbit, Amazon will miss it and satellites launched after July 30 carry reduced spectrum priority until the March 30, 2028 backstop or until 50% is reached

Timeline

2026Constellation passes 300 satellites and $11.57B Globalstar deal announced

Amazon follows LA-05 with LA-06 and LE-02 in late April, lifting total production satellites launched to about 302. On April 14, 2026 Amazon announces it will acquire Globalstar for approximately $11.57B ($90/share, expected to close 2027), catapulting Amazon Leo into the direct-to-device race with plans for an advanced D2D network in 2028.

2026Delta Airlines signs for 500-plane Wi-Fi rollout starting 2028

Delta Air Lines signs a multi-year agreement with Amazon Leo on March 31, 2026 to roll out in-flight Wi-Fi to an initial 500 aircraft starting in 2028. Delta — the largest airline to adopt Amazon Leo — joins JetBlue as an aviation customer and integrates Amazon's Leo, AWS, and AI capabilities into its wider travel-experience platform.

2026Enterprise beta launches; constellation reaches 331 satellites

Amazon Leo's enterprise beta goes live April 8, 2026 with Verizon, AT&T, Vodafone, JetBlue, NBN Co, Vrio, NASA, Hunt Energy, and Crane Worldwide as beta partners. By May 2026, 331 production satellites are in orbit. CEO Andy Jassy's shareholder letter targets mid-2026 for broader commercial launch. An Ariane 64 mission (LE-03) carrying 36 satellites is scheduled June 17, 2026.

2026FCC grants waiver on 50% deployment deadline with spectrum conditions

On June 5, 2026, the FCC grants Amazon Leo a limited waiver allowing it to miss the July 30, 2026 deadline to have 50% of its 3,236-satellite constellation (1,618 satellites) operational — Amazon had only 331 deployed due to launch-vehicle availability constraints. As a condition, any satellite launched after July 30 loses spectrum priority status until March 30, 2028, or until Amazon reaches the 50% milestone sooner. The full 3,236-satellite requirement by July 30, 2029 remains unchanged.

2026Ariane 6 launches 36 satellites in record payload (LE-03)

On June 17, 2026, Arianespace launches 36 Amazon Leo satellites aboard an Ariane 64 from French Guiana — the heaviest payload ever flown by an Ariane rocket and the first flight of the launcher's upgraded P160C boosters — lifting Amazon's in-orbit production fleet to about 367 satellites. It is the third Ariane 6 mission dedicated to the constellation as Amazon works to accelerate deployment amid limited launch-vehicle availability.

2026ULA flies final Atlas V 551 for Amazon Leo (LA-08)

On July 2, 2026, United Launch Alliance launched 29 Amazon Leo satellites from Cape Canaveral aboard the last Atlas V flown in its 551 configuration — a roughly 18-ton payload that tied the record for the heaviest load ever carried by an Atlas V. It was Amazon Leo's eighth and final launch on Atlas V, lifting the in-orbit production fleet to about 396 satellites; future constellation missions move to ULA's next-generation Vulcan Centaur.

2026Amazon says Leo has enough satellites to start service in 2026

On July 2, 2026, following the ULA Atlas V launch that brought the constellation to roughly 396 satellites, Amazon said it had deployed enough satellites to begin offering commercial Leo broadband service later in 2026 — its clearest signal yet of readiness to compete with SpaceX's Starlink, which operates about 10,000 satellites and serves 12M+ customers. Amazon plans an eventual fleet of more than 3,000 satellites.

2026Herotel to bring Amazon Leo to South Africa

On July 15, 2026 Amazon Leo signs Herotel — South Africa's largest fixed ISP, with 350,000+ customers across 550+ towns — to distribute Leo residential service under the brand 'evry, powered by Amazon Leo', launching commercially in 2027. It is the first agreement of its kind in Africa and beats Starlink into the South African market.

2025Production deployment begins

Amazon starts full-scale deployment on April 28, 2025, when the first 27 production satellites launch aboard a ULA Atlas V. The company says the initial constellation will require more than 100 deployment missions.

2025Project Kuiper becomes Amazon Leo

Amazon retires the Project Kuiper code name on November 13, 2025, adopts the Amazon Leo brand, and opens enterprise preview so select business customers can begin testing the network ahead of a wider rollout in 2026.

2024Kirkland satellite factory opens

Amazon opens its 172,000 sq ft satellite factory in Kirkland, Washington in April 2024, designed to produce up to five satellites per day at peak — one of the few high-volume satellite manufacturing lines in the world.

2023Prototype mission validates system design

After launching KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 on October 6, 2023, Amazon reports a 100% success rate across key prototype mission objectives and uses the learnings to prepare for production deployment.

2020FCC authorization for 3,236 satellites

The FCC approves Amazon's initial Project Kuiper constellation of 3,236 satellites, and Amazon says it will invest more than $10 billion to build the network and its ground infrastructure.

2019Project Kuiper announced

Amazon announces Project Kuiper as a low Earth orbit broadband initiative aimed at extending reliable, affordable internet access to unserved and underserved communities.

Funding

Round	Date	Amount	Investors	Source
Internal Investment	2019-present	$10B+ committed	Amazon.com, Inc.