Amazon Leo reaches 396 satellites after Atlas 5 launch

Amazon has completed enough launches to begin commercial high-speed internet service from its Leo satellite network later this year.

The Atlas 5 rocket deployed 29 additional satellites. United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:30 a.m. ET on July 2, 2026. The mission marks the final Atlas 5 launch reserved by Amazon for its Leo constellation.

This brings the total number of operational Leo satellites to 396. Chris Weber, vice president of business and product for Amazon Leo, stated that the count will support continuous connectivity in the initial latitudes targeted for commercial service.

Future launches will use ULA’s Vulcan rocket. Amazon has made additional launch reservations with Blue Origin, Arianespace and SpaceX. Melissa Wuerl, Amazon Leo’s director of launch systems, said hundreds of flight-ready satellites are standing by at the Cape along with a new dedicated vertical integration facility to support Vulcan missions.

“Still lots of work ahead — including raising all these new satellites to their assigned altitude — but we’ve completed enough launches for initial service this year, and future missions just add coverage and capacity,” Weber said in a LinkedIn post. Wuerl added that the setup provides “a clear path to increase launch and deployment cadence, helping us quickly expand network coverage following an initial service rollout later this year.”

Commercial service will start in limited mid-latitude zones. Amazon has conducted months of beta testing with a select group of customers, but connectivity has not been continuous because of sparse orbital coverage. The business plan focuses first on mid-northern and mid-southern latitudes before expanding as more satellites reach orbit.

Leo will compete directly with SpaceX’s Starlink. Starlink currently operates more than 10,000 satellites and serves 12 million subscribers. Amazon’s first-generation Leo constellation is planned to total 3,232 satellites by mid-2029, and the company has regulatory approval for an even larger second-generation system. Amazon has not yet announced pricing for its satellite broadband service.

Both Starlink and Leo satellites are built in the Seattle area. In the direct-to-device satellite services market, Amazon is targeting the same segment SpaceX plans to expand. Under an agreement tied to its acquisition of Globalstar, Amazon Leo will begin powering Apple’s iPhone satellite services in 2028.