Amazon has 394 satellites circling the planet. Late this year, it plans to actually turn them on.

The company’s satellite broadband venture, now called Amazon Leo, is preparing to launch its first commercial internet service after years of development, billions in launch contracts, and a rebrand that quietly dropped the “Project Kuiper” name back in November 2025. Chris Weber, who heads the division, confirmed the network has reached the scale needed to begin serving customers.

From warehouse floors to orbital space

As of July 2, Amazon has successfully launched 398 satellites total, with 394 currently operational in orbit. The most recent batch went up on an Atlas V rocket, nudging the constellation tantalizingly close to the 400-satellite mark.

The initial coverage will focus on regions near the poles before expanding toward the equator. Production satellite launches kicked off in April 2025, roughly five months after the rebrand from Project Kuiper.

The end goal is a constellation of more than 3,200 satellites. At 394, Amazon is roughly 12% of the way there.

The $82 billion bet

Amazon has secured launch contracts valued at over $82 billion, spread across more than 100 missions with providers including ULA, Arianespace, and SpaceX.

Amazon is promising speeds of up to 1 Gbps for downloads and 400 Mbps for uploads on its premium hardware configurations. The company is targeting both consumers who can’t get reliable broadband and enterprise clients who need redundant connectivity.

The FCC waived its July 30, 2026 deadline that originally required Amazon to have half of its initial constellation deployed. That waiver came in June 2026 with specific conditions attached.

The Starlink problem

SpaceX’s Starlink currently operates approximately 10,000 satellites, giving it a roughly 25-to-1 advantage over Amazon Leo in terms of orbital hardware. Starlink also has a multi-year head start in commercial operations, an established customer base across dozens of countries, and the benefit of launching on its own rockets.

Amazon brings its own advantages: AWS, the world’s largest cloud infrastructure platform, a global logistics network, and a balance sheet that can absorb years of losses.

What this means for investors

Amazon shareholders have been patient with the Leo program, which has been a pure cost center since its inception. The transition to commercial service, even at a limited scale, marks the beginning of the revenue phase.

For the broader satellite and space economy, Amazon’s $82 billion in launch contracts represents a sustained demand signal for rocket providers including ULA and Arianespace, which have multi-year revenue visibility thanks to Amazon’s commitments.

The risk factors are straightforward. Deploying 3,200-plus satellites is an engineering and logistics challenge that could face delays, cost overruns, or technical failures. Amazon’s late entry means it needs to convince customers to switch from or supplement their existing Starlink service. And the capital intensity of the program means it will weigh on Amazon’s free cash flow for years before potentially turning profitable.