What Is Amazon Leo, the New Competitor to Starlink Backed by the Global Retail Giant?

Following multiple successful satellite deployments this year, Amazon’s ambitious Project Kuiper has officially been rebranded as Amazon Leo. With 153 satellites now operating in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) – defined as altitudes up to 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) above Earth – Amazon Leo marks the company’s major push into the satellite broadband sector. The earlier codename “Kuiper” referenced the Kuiper Belt, a distant asteroid region beyond Neptune, signaling Amazon’s long–term space ambitions.

The core mission of Amazon Leo is to deliver reliable, high-speed internet to underserved communities across various countries, especially regions that are remote, rural, or geographically difficult to reach. Even near major metropolitan areas, connectivity gaps persist due to infrastructure limitations, high deployment costs, and challenging terrains. While satellite internet bridges these gaps, it requires vast financial commitment and continuous technological advancement. Leveraging Amazon’s global scale, logistical expertise, and deep technological capabilities, the company aims to significantly reduce the digital divide worldwide.

Amazon Leo operates independently from Blue Origin – Jeff Bezos’s aerospace venture – and instead functions under Amazon’s Devices and Services division, which is also home to popular products like the Kindle and Echo. The headquarters of Amazon Leo are located in Redmond, washington, supported by a high-capacity satellite manufacturing plant in nearby Kirkland that can produce up to five satellites per day. To streamline launch operations, Amazon also maintains a satellite processing facility at nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, working alongside launch partners such as Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance.

The Amazon Leo network is built around three major components: satellites, user terminals, and ground infrastructure. The ground segment includes TT&C (telemetry, tracking, and control) antennas that oversee satellite operations and gateway antennas for secure, high-bandwidth data routing. These systems connect through private networks and the broader internet to ensure robust global communication pathways.

In the air, Amazon Leo’s low-Earth orbit satellites relay data from user terminals to gateway antennas. Customers will be able to access the network through three categories of terminals – Leo Nano, Leo Pro, and Leo Ultra – each designed to cater to different usage levels. Amazon plans to deploy more than 3,000 satellites in the initial constellation, coordinating their movements to deliver consistent, stable broadband coverage.

The satellites will operate at altitudes between 590 and 630 kilometers. Because LEO satellites orbit much closer to Earth than traditional geostationary satellites, they offer significantly lower latency. This enables smoother online gaming, responsive video conferencing, and seamless 4K/HD streaming – even in regions lacking conventional broadband infrastructure.

With over 80 secured launch contracts, Amazon Leo now holds the record for the largest commercial launch procurement ever made. Safety and sustainability remain central to the project’s design, influencing satellite architecture, deorbit planning, and Amazon’s collaborations with researchers and global space operators.

Amazon Leo will offer multiple user terminal options to meet varied customer demands:

• Leo Nano: up to 100 Mbps
• Leo Pro: up to 400 Mbps
• Leo Ultra: up to 1 Gbps

Amazon expects the first phase of services to begin in late 2025, initially targeting a select number of enterprise customers. Broader commercial availability is projected for 2026 as the satellite constellation expands and network capacity grows.