Amazon is preparing to enter the satellite broadband market later this year after reaching a major deployment milestone for its Project Leo low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation, setting the stage for a direct challenge to Elon Musk’s dominant Starlink network.
The company said it now has enough satellites in orbit to begin offering initial internet services, marking a significant step in its multibillion-dollar effort to build a global broadband network that will compete for consumer, enterprise, and government customers.
The milestone comes after Amazon’s latest launch on Thursday pushed the constellation’s satellite count to nearly 400, although the company still has thousands more spacecraft to deploy before achieving full global coverage.
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“We’ve completed enough launches for initial service this yr, and future missions just add coverage and capacity,” Project Leo Vice President Chris Weber said in a post on X after the successful mission.
Amazon’s latest batch of 29 satellites was launched aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Florida, marking the company’s 14th dedicated Project Leo mission. The launch increases the constellation to 394 operational satellites in orbit out of 398 launched since deployments began in April 2025, according to spaceflight analyst and Harvard astronomer Jonathan McDowell.
Although the company has not identified where service will first become available, initial coverage is expected to begin in high-latitude regions near the Arctic and Antarctic before gradually expanding toward the equator as additional satellites are deployed.
Amazon had previously targeted a mid-2026 commercial launch, and Thursday’s announcement suggests the company remains on track despite mounting challenges affecting the global launch industry.
Taking on Starlink
Project Leo represents Amazon’s biggest attempt to compete directly with SpaceX’s Starlink, which has established an overwhelming lead in the satellite broadband market.
Starlink currently operates roughly 10,000 satellites worldwide and already serves millions of customers across residential, commercial, aviation, maritime, and government markets.
Like Starlink, Amazon intends to sell internet services through dedicated satellite terminals ranging from compact consumer devices roughly the size of a laptop to larger, higher-capacity terminals designed for businesses, airlines and government agencies. The competition is expected to intensify as demand grows for broadband connectivity in remote regions where traditional fiber and cellular infrastructure remain limited.
Industry analysts see low-Earth-orbit satellite networks becoming an important part of global communications infrastructure, supporting everything from consumer internet access to military communications and disaster recovery.
Project Leo is one of Amazon’s largest infrastructure investments, reflecting growing competition among technology giants to control the next generation of global communications networks. Amazon has booked roughly 100 rocket launches worth an estimated $82 billion to deploy its planned constellation of more than 3,200 satellites.
The enormous capital commitment mirrors broader investment trends across the technology industry, where companies are simultaneously pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into artificial intelligence infrastructure, cloud computing capacity and advanced communications networks.
Rocket Setbacks Complicate Deployment Schedule
While Amazon has reached the threshold for initial commercial service, its longer-term deployment plans face uncertainty because several of its launch providers are dealing with technical problems.
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V has emerged as the primary workhorse for Project Leo after the two next-generation rockets Amazon planned to rely on encountered delays.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, developed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space company, remains grounded after exploding on its launch pad last month, destroying the launch tower and other equipment. Blue Origin Chief Executive Dave Limp has said engineers are focusing on the rocket’s engine section to determine the cause of the explosion and expects launches to resume before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, ULA’s Vulcan rocket, which is scheduled to carry at least 40 Project Leo missions, has also been grounded following a solid rocket booster separation issue encountered during a February flight.
The situation has become more complicated because Vulcan uses the same BE-4 engines manufactured by Blue Origin that power New Glenn. If investigators determine the engines contributed to New Glenn’s failure, Vulcan’s return to flight could face additional delays.
ULA spokeswoman Jessica Rye said Blue Origin has kept its launch partner informed throughout the investigation.
“Blue Origin engineers are being transparent with us as they work through the investigation. If there are crossover items with the BE-4 engines, we will collaborate with the team to find root cause and address it,” she said.
To reduce dependence on any single provider, Amazon has assembled one of the most diversified launch portfolios in the commercial space industry. In addition to Atlas V, the company has secured launch contracts with French launch provider Arianespace using its Ariane 6 rocket, ULA’s future Vulcan missions, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, and even rival SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
In the commercial launch market, SpaceX remains the industry’s most reliable and frequently flown launch provider despite competing directly with Amazon through Starlink.