(Image credit: Amazon)
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The approvals bring Amazon’s planned constellation to 7,700 satellites
This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given Amazon Leo the green light to launch a second tranche of low Earth orbit (LEO) communications satellites.
The approval will allow the company to launch 4,504 additional satellites, bringing the burgeoning constellation’s full complement to 7,727 devices.
Of the newly approved satellites, 3,212 are the more advanced Gen 2 satellites, while 1,292 are Gen 1 satellites aimed at expanding coverage to polar regions, including the northernmost parts of North America and Europe.
Under the approval, Amazon Leo must launch half of the approved satellites by February 10, 2032, and the remaining half by February 10, 2035.
Amazon Leo (previously known as Amazon’s Project Kuiper) has been in development since 2019, aiming to challenge meteoric rise of SpaceX’s Starlink.
Starlink already has around 9,000 satellites in orbit, and recently secured approval to increase this number to 15,000.
As such, Amazon Leo has a lot of catching up to do – a fact made more daunting by its slow deployment rate since it began launching satellites in April last year.
Amazon’s initial FCC clearance required the company to launch half of its 3,232 Gen 1 satellites by July 30, 2026; however, last month the company filed a request for an extension, citing launch vehicle limitations. Amazon is asking that the deadline be extended to July 2028 or even waived entirely.
Amazon Leo has currently launched just 180 of the 1,616 satellites required. (Thirty-two additional satellites are set to be sent into orbit later today, delivered by Arianespace’s latest Ariane 6 launch vehicle.)
Despite this, the company still reportedly aims to begin providing commercial services later this year.
In related news, this week maritime connectivity reseller MTN has announced it will be the first to offer the sector access to Amazon Leo.
According to MTN’s website, the company’s existing partnership with Starlink is ‘the core of [the company’s] strategy’, but it also notes other satellite partners including OneWeb an GEO (geostationary) satellite operators.
“But Starlink is only part of the solution. MTN combines LEO networks like Starlink and OneWeb with GEO satellites, wireless, and near-shore RF to deliver a hybrid model that consistently outperforms legacy connectivity.”
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