Amazon expects to debut initial commercial service for its Leo broadband satellite network later this year. The announcement follows a successful overnight launch that pushed the orbit-bound constellation’s total count past 390 satellites, achieving a critical operational threshold. <\/p>\n
Early on Thursday, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket lifted off from Florida carrying Amazon\u2019s latest batch of 29 satellites. This mission marked the eighth and final Atlas V flight reserved for the project. Moving forward, deployment will shift to next-generation heavy-lift vehicles to complete the planned 3,200-satellite constellation designed to provide global high-speed internet coverage, News.Az<\/a> reports, citing Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chris Weber, Amazon<\/a> Leo\u2019s vice president of business and product, confirmed on social media that the network now has enough assets in space to support continuous connectivity across its initial targeted latitudes. While initial services are expected to roll out near the Earth’s polar regions and gradually expand toward the equator, Amazon has not yet detailed specific launch regions or consumer pricing.<\/p>\n The emerging Leo network\u2014originally developed under the codename Project Kuiper\u2014is positioning itself as a direct competitor to SpaceX\u2019s Starlink, which currently dominates the market with roughly 10,000 active satellites. Amazon plans to serve a wide array of clients, offering terminal configurations ranging from residential-sized units to high-capacity options for corporate enterprises, government agencies, and commercial airlines.<\/p>\n