Amazon’s Leo Satellite Network Edges Toward Global Internet Service
Amazon says its Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) constellation has surpassed 390 satellites after 29 new spacecraft, moving toward commercial service later this year. The project aims to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet with up to about 7,700 LEO satellites, a major challenge to SpaceX’s Starlink. Launches involve ULA, Arianespace, Blue Origin, and SpaceX, with a shift from Atlas V to Vulcan to enable larger satellite batches. Despite supply chain delays and a Blue Origin test-vehicle explosion, Amazon has built ready-to-fly spacecraft and an integration center to speed deployments, and initial service will roll out in limited geographies while AWS integration could open enterprise use. Expansion is planned to span dozens of countries as the network scales.
