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  "description": "Amazon has 153 active satellites, plans to launch enterprise service in 2025, removes reference to 'affordable broadband' ",
  "path": "/amazon-rebrands-prosatellite-internet-service-to-amazon-leo/",
  "publishedAt": "2025-11-17T21:07:14.000Z",
  "site": "https://broadbandbreakfast.com",
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  "textContent": "WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2025 — Amazon _rebranded_ its Project Kuiper satellite broadband program as Amazon Leo on Thursday, with _153 satellites_ in orbit as the company approaches a federal deployment requirement set by the Federal Communications Commission.\n\nAmazon announced the rebrand as it shifted from prototype tests to commercial deployment under its 2020 FCC authorization to build and operate a 3,236-satellite low-Earth orbit constellation. The FCC required Amazon to place half of those satellites in active service by July 30, 2026, a _rule_ intended to prevent companies from warehousing orbital spectrum without deploying networks.\n\nAmazon's April 28 _launch_ on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket marked the first operational satellites counted toward the FCC requirement. Five additional launches followed _through_ October, including _missions_ on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets.\n\nAmazon said it secured more than 80 launch missions across several providers to meet the 2026 federal milestone. These providers _included_ Blue Origin, the commercial space company founded by Amazon's former chief executive **Jeff Bezos** , and Arianespace, the European state-backed launch provider.\n\nThe combined launch contracts were described by Amazon as the largest commercial launch purchase on record.\n\nSatellite production took place at a facility in Kirkland, Washington, where Amazon reported a capacity of five spacecraft per day. Processing and integration occurred at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which served as the staging site for all six operational launches conducted so far.\n\nAmazon said it _planned_ to begin service to “select enterprise” service before the end of 2025, with broader commercial availability expected in 2026 as the constellation expands and ground infrastructure is completed. The company introduced three user terminals that offered speeds of 100 megabits per second, 400 megabits per second, and 1 gigabit per second.\n\nEarly commercial partners include JetBlue, which seeks improved in-flight connectivity, and Airbus, which plans aviation trials. Amazon on Wednesday announced Connected Farm, which focuses on rural automation networks.\n\nEarly commercial partners _include_ JetBlue, seeks improved in-flight connectivity, and _Airbus_, which planned aviation trials. Amazon on _Wednesday_ announced Connected Farm, which focuses on rural automation networks. Pilot programs for Connected Farm are scheduled to begin in 2026 in North America and the United Kingdom.\n\n###  _Company removes references to ‘affordable broadband’_\n\nTechCrunch reported Sunday that Amazon _removed_ all affordability references from its recent marketing materials.\n\nArchived 2024 pages described Kuiper’s _mission_ as providing “affordable broadband” for globally unserved communities. Current descriptions emphasize network reliability and enterprise capabilities and remove explicit references to price or unserved households.\n\nAmazon's satellites operate at altitudes between 367 and 392 miles above Earth. SpaceX Starlink, which remains the dominant low Earth orbit broadband provider with more than 7,000 satellites, operate at lower _altitudes_ at roughly 340 miles. Amazon said its network would integrate with _Amazon Web Services_ to support business applications.\n\nAmazon faces a July 2026 deadline to deploy _half_ its authorized constellation, under FCC licensing rules. The requirement calls for 1,618 satellites to be in active service, leaving Amazon with 1,465 satellites still to launch from its current total of 153.",
  "title": "Amazon Rebrands Project Kuipier Satellite Service to ‘Amazon Leo’",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-17T21:50:30.898Z"
}