The Amazon Leo Satellite Connectivity sign will be on display during the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on January 6, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images
The Federal Communications Commission announced the approval on Tuesday. Amazon’s To compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the company is expanding its planned satellite constellation, calling for a deployment of 4,500 satellites.
The FCC approval brings Amazon’s planned low-orbit satellite constellation to about 7,700.
The company has launched more than 150 satellites since April using various rocket launch providers. Amazon said its goal is to begin offering satellite internet through a service called Leo later this year. This project was announced in 2019.
Amazon’s next set of satellites will be a second-generation orbital system that will operate at altitudes of up to about 400 miles, according to the notice. Adding satellites adds support for more frequency bands and expands LEO’s geographic area.
The FCC said Amazon must launch 50% of its approved satellites by February 10, 2032 and the other half by February 10, 2035.
Amazon is working to meet another deadline imposed by the FCC to deploy 1,600 first-generation satellites by July 2026. Late last month, the company asked the FCC to extend the deadline to July 2028 or waive it entirely. The FCC has not yet ruled on this request.
The company argued that uncontrollable delays, including a short-term shortage of rockets to put the satellite into orbit, made it likely it would not be able to meet delivery deadlines.
LEO is “manufacturing satellites significantly faster than other satellites are being launched,” the company wrote.
The company invested $10 billion to launch internet services from space. LEO is poised to rival SpaceX’s Starlink, which has more than 9,000 satellites in orbit and about 9 million customers.
Amazon expects to spend an additional $1 billion on Leonid this year to deploy more satellites, the company said in its latest quarterly report last week. Brian Olsabsky, Amazon’s finance chief, said the company plans to launch more than 20 services in 2026 and 30 in 2027.
The next Leonid mission is scheduled for Thursday, when an Arianespace rocket will launch 32 more satellites into orbit. Amazon has 17 other missions booked with the French company.
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