{"id":46484,"date":"2026-07-03T01:51:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T17:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/amazon-leo-says-its-latest-launch-gives-it-enough-satellites-to-start-broadband-internet-service\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T01:51:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T17:51:45","slug":"amazon-leo-says-its-latest-launch-gives-it-enough-satellites-to-start-broadband-internet-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/amazon-leo-says-its-latest-launch-gives-it-enough-satellites-to-start-broadband-internet-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon Leo says its latest launch gives it enough satellites to start broadband internet service"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1260\" height=\"918\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/260702-amazonleo-1260x918.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-936509\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/260702-amazonleo-1260x918.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/260702-amazonleo-768x560.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/260702-amazonleo.jpg 1522w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">An Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from its Florida launch pad, sending 29 Amazon Leo satellites into orbit. (United Launch Alliance Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amazon says the overnight launch of 29 satellites should clear the way for its Amazon Leo network to start offering commercial high-speed internet service from space this year, in direct competition with SpaceX\u2019s Starlink network.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">United Launch Alliance\u2019s Atlas 5 rocket sent the satellites into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:30 a.m. ET today (9:30 p.m. PT Wednesday).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was the last of eight Atlas 5 launches that Amazon reserved for its satellites. Going forward, ULA will use its next-generation Vulcan rocket to support Amazon Leo\u2019s years-long deployment schedule. Amazon has also made launch reservations with Blue Origin, Arianespace and SpaceX.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest liftoff boosts Amazon Leo\u2019s constellation to 396 operational satellites. That will be enough to support continuous connectivity in the initial latitudes targeted for commercial service, according to Chris Weber, vice president of business and product for Amazon Leo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cStill lots of work ahead \u2014 including raising all these new satellites to their assigned altitude \u2014 but we\u2019ve completed enough launches for initial service this year, and future missions just add coverage and capacity,\u201d Weber said in a LinkedIn post.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Atlas V launches Amazon Leo 8 (LA-08)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kcH5RDZ9Kuo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amazon has been beta-testing the service for months with a select group of customers, but connectivity hasn\u2019t been continuous due to sparse orbital coverage. Amazon Leo\u2019s business plan calls for launching commercial service within a limited zone concentrated at mid-northern and mid-southern latitudes, and gradually expanding the service area as more satellites go up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith hundreds of flight-ready satellites standing by at the Cape and a new, dedicated vertical integration facility ready to support Leo Vulcan 1 and subsequent missions, we have a clear path to increase launch and deployment cadence, helping us quickly expand network coverage following an initial service rollout later this year,\u201d Melissa Wuerl, Amazon Leo\u2019s director of launch systems, said in a statement released after the latest launch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amazon hasn\u2019t yet announced pricing for satellite broadband service. The first-generation constellation, consisting of 3,232 satellites, is due to reach full deployment in mid-2029 \u2014 and Amazon has received regulatory approval for an even larger second-generation constellation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Amazon Leo begins commercial service, it will still trail far behind SpaceX\u2019s Starlink satellite network, which has more than 10,000 satellites in orbit and 12 million subscribers. The satellites for both Starlink and Amazon Leo are built in the Seattle area.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the years ahead, SpaceX plans to beef up Starlink\u2019s capabilities in the emerging market for direct-to-device satellite services. Amazon is aggressively targeting that same market through its recent acquisition of Globalstar. Under a separate agreement tied to the deal, Amazon Leo will start powering Apple\u2019s iPhone satellite services starting in 2028. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from its Florida launch pad, sending 29 Amazon Leo satellites into orbit. (United Launch Alliance Photo) Amazon says the overnight launch of 29 satellites should clear the way for its Amazon Leo network to start offering commercial high-speed internet service from space this year, in direct competition with SpaceX\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[688,724,962,20,4336,442,750,4518],"class_list":["post-46484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-amazon-leo","tag-atlas-5","tag-project-kuiper","tag-satellite","tag-satellite-broadband","tag-satellites","tag-united-launch-alliance","tag-vulcan-rocket"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46484"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46484\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}