Amazon has renamed its satellite internet from Project Kuiper to Amazon Leo, reflecting the low Earth orbit network that underpins the service. The rebrand also comes as the company moves from years of development to commercial rollout with one of the world’s largest satellite deployments.
“Amazon Leo is a simple nod to the low Earth orbit satellite constellation that powers the network,” said Rajeev Badyal, Vice President of Amazon Leo.
Originally launched with a small engineering team and a placeholder name inspired by the Kuiper Belt, the project has since grown into a major infrastructure effort. Amazon has secured licences, signed launch contracts, completed a successful prototype mission and begun deploying full-scale production satellites. More than 150 spacecraft are now in orbit, supported by a high-capacity manufacturing line and advanced customer terminals capable of gigabit speeds.
Amazon Leo is set to begin service once additional coverage is in place, with plans to offer connectivity in five countries in 2026 before expanding to 26 markets by year-end and reaching the equator the following year. The constellation is expected to exceed 3,200 satellites, targeting areas beyond the reach of existing broadband and competing directly with Starlink across consumer, enterprise, aviation and maritime sectors.
Partners including JetBlue, L3Harris, DIRECTV Latin America, Sky Brasil and Australia’s NBN Co. are already lined up to adopt the service as Amazon prepares to launch more than 80 missions to build out the initial network.
