Overview
Amazon Leo is a low Earth orbit broadband internet constellation operated by Kuiper Systems LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon. Licensed by the FCC for 3,236 satellites across three altitude shells (590 km, 610 km, and 630 km), it represents Amazon's multi-billion-dollar entry into the satellite internet market. The programme was originally known as Project Kuiper — named after the Kuiper Belt — before being rebranded to Amazon Leo in November 2025 as deployment accelerated. If you've searched for "Project Kuiper satellites" or "Kuiper tracker", this is the same constellation under its current name.
The constellation is designed to deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband to underserved communities, enterprise customers, and aviation/maritime users worldwide. Each satellite features the custom Prometheus baseband chip and optical inter-satellite links (OISL) operating at 100 Gbps. Track the constellation live on our Amazon Leo Tracker.
Deployment Status
Amazon launched two prototype satellites (KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2) on a ULA Atlas V in October 2023 for end-to-end testing. Production deployment began in April 2025 with the first 27 satellites on Atlas V. As of June 2026, approximately 235+ production satellites are in orbit across 12 successful missions using Atlas V, Falcon 9, and Ariane 6 launch vehicles, making it the third-largest constellation in orbit.
The FCC requires Amazon to deploy and operate 1,618 satellites (50% of the constellation) by July 30, 2026, and the full 3,236 by July 30, 2029. Amazon has requested a deadline extension due to launch vehicle availability challenges. In January 2026, the FCC approved a Gen2 expansion of 4,500 additional satellites, bringing the total planned to 7,727. Monitor the FCC deadline countdown live.
Three-Shell Architecture
Unlike Starlink's single primary altitude or OneWeb's single 1,200 km shell, Amazon Leo distributes satellites across three concentric orbital shells, each with different inclinations optimised for specific latitude bands:
| Shell | Altitude | Planes | Sats/Plane | Total | Inclination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shell 1 | 590 km | 28 | 28 | 784 | 33° |
| Shell 2 | 610 km | 36 | 36 | 1,296 | 42° |
| Shell 3 | 630 km | 34 | 34 | 1,156 | 51.9° |
| Total | 590–630 km | 98 | — | 3,236 | 30°–51.9° |
This multi-shell approach provides layered, overlapping coverage and built-in redundancy. The lower inclinations (30°–51.9°) focus coverage on populated latitudes between approximately 56°S and 56°N, covering the vast majority of the world's population. See the triple-shell visualizer on our tracker. Learn more about orbital mechanics in our types of orbits guide.
Technology
Prometheus Chip
At the heart of every Amazon Leo satellite, customer terminal, and ground gateway is the Prometheus baseband chip — Amazon's custom silicon designed to process up to 1 Tbps of data per satellite. By combining the capabilities of multiple traditional chips into one, Prometheus reduces satellite mass, power consumption, and manufacturing cost. It was developed in-house by Amazon's semiconductor team at their Kirkland, Washington facility.
Optical Inter-Satellite Links
Every Amazon Leo satellite includes OISL capability — infrared laser connections between satellites at up to 100 Gbps. This creates a mesh network in space where data can route between satellites without touching the ground at every hop. This is architecturally distinct from OneWeb's bent-pipe system (which requires ground station line-of-sight) and similar to Starlink's v2 laser links. Explore the OISL mesh visualization on our tracker. For more detail, see How Satellite Internet Works.
Brightness Mitigation
Amazon Leo satellites incorporate a dielectric mirror coating to reduce solar reflectivity and minimise visual impact for ground-based astronomers — addressing an issue that has affected Starlink satellites, particularly in the early generations.
Globalstar Acquisition
In April 2026, Amazon announced an agreement to acquire Globalstar, the satellite communications company operating 24 LEO satellites and 28 ground gateways worldwide. The acquisition, expected to close in 2027, significantly strengthens Amazon Leo's position by adding licensed spectrum (Band 53/n53), regulatory approvals in 100+ countries, and direct-to-device satellite connectivity capability. See the full Globalstar acquisition analysis on our tracker.
Customer Terminals
Amazon has announced three customer terminal types, all powered by the Prometheus chip with electronically steered phased-array antennas operating in Ka-band (17–30 GHz):
| Terminal | Target Use | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Leo Nano | Portable / IoT | Compact form factor for mobile and IoT applications |
| Leo Pro | Residential / SMB | Up to 400 Mbps, ~30 cm dish, sub-$400 target price |
| Leo Ultra | Enterprise / Aviation | Up to 1 Gbps, large aperture for high-throughput applications |
Launch Vehicles
Amazon Leo is unique among mega-constellations in using five different rocket types from four providers — the largest commercial launch procurement in history:
| Vehicle | Provider | Launches Booked | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas V 551 | ULA | 9 | Active — first Leo launch vehicle |
| Falcon 9 | SpaceX | 13+ | Active |
| Ariane 64 | Arianespace | 18 | Active — first Leo launch Feb 2026 |
| Vulcan Centaur | ULA | 38 | Upcoming — primary deployment vehicle |
| New Glenn | Blue Origin | 12–27 | Upcoming |
Track mission progress on the launch vehicle scorecard, launch timeline, and upcoming launches.
Partnerships & Customers
Amazon Leo is building a growing ecosystem of partners across sports, aviation, enterprise, and government sectors:
- DP World Tour — First professional sports organisation to deploy Leo Nano, Pro and Ultra terminals at tournament venues (2026)
- JetBlue Airways — First airline partner for in-flight WiFi, deployment starting 2027
- Vrio Corp (DirecTV Latin America) — Broadband for underserved communities across Latin America
- BEAD Program — Preliminary grants under the US Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment programme for rural connectivity
See the full partnerships section on the tracker.
Competitive Position
Amazon Leo enters a market where SpaceX's Starlink has a massive head start — approximately 9,850 active satellites and 4+ million subscribers in 100+ countries. However, Amazon brings significant strategic advantages: over $10 billion in committed funding, integration with AWS cloud infrastructure, an existing Prime customer base of 200+ million, and partnerships spanning aviation, sports, and enterprise. See the deployment race comparison on our tracker for how Amazon Leo's pace compares to Starlink at the same stage.
Amazon is expected to compete aggressively on price, potentially bundling Leo service with Prime memberships. The Globalstar acquisition adds direct-to-device capability and spectrum in 100+ countries. For a detailed breakdown, see our Starlink vs Amazon Leo full comparison.
Key People
The programme is led by Rajeev Badyal, Vice President of Amazon Leo, who was previously VP of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet constellation before departing in 2018. Several other former SpaceX engineers joined Amazon to build the programme.
Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| April 2019 | Project Kuiper announced |
| July 2020 | FCC license granted for 3,236 satellites |
| April 2022 | 83 launches contracted (ULA, Arianespace, Blue Origin) |
| October 2023 | Two prototype satellites launched and tested |
| December 2023 | 3 additional Falcon 9 launches contracted from SpaceX |
| April 2025 | First 27 production satellites launched (KA-01) |
| November 2025 | Rebranded to Amazon Leo; beta waitlist opened |
| January 2026 | FCC approves Gen2 expansion (4,500 additional satellites) |
| February 2026 | First Ariane 6 launch (LE-01) |
| April 2026 | Globalstar acquisition announced; 235+ satellites in orbit |
| July 2026 | FCC deadline: 50% of Gen1 (1,618 satellites) |
| 2026–2027 | Commercial service launch in US, UK, France, Germany, Canada |
| July 2029 | FCC deadline: full Gen1 constellation (3,236 satellites) |
Track the full deployment history on the launch timeline and constellation growth chart.