 | |
| Formerly | Project Kuiper (2019–2025) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Satellite internet provider |
| Founded | April 2019; 6 years ago (2019-04) |
| Founder | Jeff Bezos |
| Headquarters | Redmond, Washington, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Rajeev Badyal (president) |
Number of employees | 1,400 (July 2023)[1] |
| Parent | Amazon |
| Website | leo |
Amazon Leo, formerly known asProject Kuiper, is a subsidiary ofAmazon established in 2019 to deploy a largesatellite internet constellation providing low-latency broadband connectivity.[2][3] The project's original codename was inspired by theKuiper belt. The service was rebranded as Amazon Leo in November 2025.[4]
In July 2020, theFederal Communications Commission authorized Amazon to deploy 3,236 satellites intolow Earth orbit.[5] Deployment is planned in five phases, with service expected to begin after the first 578 satellites reach orbit. Under the terms of its license, Amazon must launch and operate half of the constellation by July 30, 2026, and the remainder by July 30, 2029.[6]
To support the constellation, Amazon has purchased 92 rocket launches fromUnited Launch Alliance,ArianeGroup, andBlue Origin—the latter founded by Amazon executive chairmanJeff Bezos—for a total cost exceedingUS$10 billion.[7] In 2023, it also purchased three launches fromSpaceX, operator of the competingStarlink network.[8]
In April 2019, Amazon officials announced that they would fund and deploy Project Kuiper, a large satellite constellation, to providebroadband internet service.[2][3] Officials said the project would "offer broadband service through partnerships with other companies", including to "tens of millions of people who lack basic access to broadband internet", although it remains unclear whether service will be offered directly to consumers.[9]
The president of Kuiper Systems, Rajeev Badyal, was a former vice president of SpaceX'sStarlink satellite internet constellation. Fired byElon Musk in 2018, Badyal soon afterward started Kuiper along with other ex-SpaceX employees.[9][10]
In December 2019, it was reported that Amazon was asking the FCC to waive requirements (e.g., to have applied by 2016) thatSpaceX andOneWeb had to follow in order to get their large satellite internet constellations licensed.[11]
In July 2020, Amazon received FCC authorization to orbit a constellation of 3,236 satellites, provided, among other conditions, that they not interfere with previously authorized satellite ventures. Company officials said they would spend $10 billion on the effort.[12][13] It was expected to take up to a decade to fully deploy all 3,236 planned satellites.
In December 2020, Amazon unveiled a low-cost flat-panel user terminalantenna for the Project Kuiper system. It is aKa-bandphased-array antenna that is much smaller than traditional designs for antennas that operate at 17–30GHz. The antenna will be ~30 cm (12 in) in width and is expected to support up to 400megabits per second of data bandwidth at less than 20% of the cost of traditional state-of-the-art flat-panel antennas.[14] Amazon also announced that they intend to be "launch agnostic" and would not plan to exclusively use launch capacity fromJeff Bezos'Blue Origin company, but rather were open to launch capability offers from all providers.[14]
In April 2021, Amazon announced that it had contracted withULA for nine launches of Kuiper satellites onAtlas Vlaunch vehicles fromCape Canaveral Space Force Station inFlorida, and noted that it will "continue to explore all options" for launching the remainder of the satellites.[15][16]
In April 2022, Amazon announced contracts with threelaunch providers for 83 launches over the next decade.[17] They include 18 launches of the EuropeanAriane 6, 12 launches ofBlue Origin'sNew Glenn (with options for 15 additional flights), and 38 launches on theVulcan launch vehicle fromUnited Launch Alliance.[7]
In August 2023, a lawsuit was filed by an Amazonshareholder, Cleveland Bakers and Teamsters Pension Fund, against the company claiming the Amazon board of directors acted inbad faith when procuring the approximately $10 billion in launch contracts for the constellation, which amounted to Amazon's second-largest capital expenditure to date.[18][7] Contracts to Blue Origin, owned by Bezos, amounted to 45% of the total expenditure. The suit suggests thatanimosity between Bezos and SpaceX founder Elon Musk may have precluded Amazon from contracting SpaceX'sFalcon 9 vehicle, which is flight proven and potentially more cost-effective.[18]
Two initial prototype satellites, "KuiperSat-1" and "KuiperSat-2" launched on October 6, 2023, on anAtlas V rocket operated byUnited Launch Alliance fromCape Canaveral Space Force Station.[19][20] The mission was deemed a success and both satellites were deorbited.[21]
In December 2023, it was announced that Amazon had secured three Kuiper launches aboardSpaceX'sFalcon 9.[8] These flew in July, August and October 2025, carrying 24 satellites each.
TheVulcan Centaur rocket launched for the first time on January 8, 2024,[22] clearing the way for the future ordered launches of Kuiper Systems satellites. Vulcan will launch 38 times for Kuiper.Ariane 6 made its maiden flight on July 9, 2024.[23] Ariane 6 is responsible for 18 Kuiper launches.
The first 27 production satellites were launched on April 28, 2025, aboard an Atlas V rocket. The company said that it had successfully established communications with all of the satellites.[24]
A public beta waitlist was announced alongside the Leo rebrand in November 2025. Early service is anticipated in 2026.
In January 2026, Amazon filed a request with the FCC to extend the deadline to launch half of their Gen1 constellation by July 2026. It disclosed 10 additional Falcon 9 and 12 additional New Glenn launch contracts.[25][26]
Amazon Leo has launched two prototype satellites and 212 production satellites to date as of December 2025.[a]
Amazon Leo'ssatellite constellation is planned to consist of 3,236 satellites operating in 98orbital planes in threeorbital shells, one each at 590 km (370 mi), 610 km (380 mi), and 630 km (390 mi)orbital altitude.[27] The satellites are equipped withHall-effect thruster technology.[28] Phase 1 of deployment will be 578 satellites at 630 km altitude and an orbital inclination of 51.9 degrees. A total of five phases of constellation development are planned.[16]
Amazon Leo is planned to work in concert with Amazon's previously announced large network of 12 satellite ground station facilities (the "AWS Ground Station unit") announced in November 2018.[29]
In addition to connecting to ground stations to connect to the ground-based internet, satellites will interconnect via optical infrared laser connections. Amazon refers to this technology as OISL (optical inter-satellite link). These lasers are capable of maintaining 100 Gbps over distances up to 2,600 km among two satellites moving at 25,000 km/h. Current in-space tests have demonstrated this speed up to a distance of 1,000 km.[30][31]
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Three customer terminal (CT) designs are planned for different market needs.
Amazon Leo Nano measures in at 7 inches square and weighs 2.2lb, and is intended to deliver up to 100Mbps to residential and mobility customers. Leo Pro, the standard CT, is 11 inches square and weighs 5.3lb, and is designed to deliver 400Mbps. The Leo Ultra terminal is 20x30 inches and advertised to deliver up to 1Gbps download and 400Mbps upload.[32] Multiple Ultra terminals can be ganged together for applications requiring higher bandwidth.
Organizational headquarters for Amazon Leo are located at an Amazon R&D facility inRedmond, Washington since 2020.[33] Development of satellite prototypes and production methods were initially performed at the Redmond site. Manufacturing and satellite production is located at 172,000 square feet (16,000 m2) facility in nearbyKirkland, Washington.[34] The factory in Kirkland opened in April 2024 and is planned to manufacture five satellites per day at peak capacity. A logistics center inEverett, Washington, is expected to open in June 2024 to supply the Kirkland factory with kits assembled from raw materials.[35]
Amazon owns a satellite processing and integration facility in Florida at NASA'sKennedy Space Center to integrate spacecraft for launch aboard United Launch Alliance, SpaceX and Blue Origin rockets from the spaceport.
| Launch (UTC) | Rocket type | Mission | Satellites | Operational orbit | Launch site | Launch status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 6, 2023 18:06[36] | Atlas V 501 | Protoflight | 2 | LEO, 500 km | Cape Canaveral,SLC‑41 | Success |
|
| April 28, 2025 23:01[37] | Atlas V 551 | KA-01 | 27 | LEO, 630 km | Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41 | Success | First launch of production satellites. |
| June 23, 2025 10:54[38] | Atlas V 551 | KA-02 | 27 | LEO, 630 km | Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41 | Success | |
| July 16, 2025 06:30[39] | Falcon 9 Block 5 | KF-01 | 24[40] | LEO, 630 km | Cape Canaveral,SLC‑40 | Success | First of 13 launches on Falcon 9. |
| August 11, 2025 12:35[41] | Falcon 9 Block 5 | KF-02 | 24 | LEO, 630 km | Cape Canaveral, SLC‑40 | Success | |
| September 25, 2025 12:09[42] | Atlas V 551 | KA-03 | 27 | LEO, 630 km | Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41 | Success | |
| October 14, 2025 01:58[43] | Falcon 9 Block 5 | KF-03 | 24 | LEO, 630 km | Cape Canaveral, SLC‑40 | Success | |
| December 16, 2025 08:28[44] | Atlas V 551 | LA-04 | 27 | LEO, 630 km | Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41 | Success | First launch under the Amazon Leo name. |
| February 12, 2026 16:45[45][46] | Ariane 64 Block 1 | LE-01 | 32[47] | LEO, 630 km | Guiana,ELA‑4 | Success | First of 18 launches on Ariane 6. |
| March 2026 | Vulcan Centaur VC6L | LV-01 | 45[48] | LEO, 630 km | Cape Canaveral, SLC‑41 | Planned | First of 38 launches on Vulcan Centaur. |
| March 2026 | Ariane 64 Block 1 | LE-02 | 32[47] | LEO, 630 km | Guiana, ELA‑4 | Planned | |
| May 2026 | Ariane 64 Block 2 | LE-03 | 32[47] | LEO, 630 km | Guiana, ELA‑4 | Planned | |
| 2026 | New Glenn 7×2 | LN-01 | 49[49] | LEO, 630 km | Cape Canaveral,LC‑36 | Planned | First of 24 launches on New Glenn. |
Kuiper is wholly owned by Amazon, and its president is Rajeev Badyal, a former SpaceX vice president who was reportedly fired because SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was unsatisfied with his company's satellite-broadband progress.
Amazon is trying to get a waiver to FCC rules that companies like SpaceX and OneWeb had to follow.
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