Amazon has changed the name of Project Kuiper to Amazon Leo. Amazon Leo has started beta testing with selective business customers in rural Western states, focusing on enterprise users. Plans are to expand to additional business customers in areas such as Illinois. The service is also being developed for residential users, with download speeds targeted at 100-400 Mbps and latency at 30-50 ms. Early tests use production hardware, and there are over 150 satellites in orbit as of late 2025.
Major Updates and Benchmarks as of March 2026
- Beta testing is underway with selected business customers focusing on enterprise connectivity in rural western states, with plans to expand.
- Early reports: Place latency at 30-50 ms, competitive with LEO satellite broadband.
- Load speeds for residential users are projected to range from 100 to 400 Mbps, with upload speeds from 20 to 100 Mbps. Business customer speeds and requirements may vary by enterprise service tier.
- A major launch in December 2025 increased the number of Amazon Leo satellites in orbit to over 150. By the end of 2026, the network is expected to have more than 3,200 satellites.
- Optical inter-satellite links enable fast, direct transfers, improving speed and latency.
- The terminal or dish is expected to cost less than $400 to produce.
Amazon Leo aims to compete directly with SpaceX’s Starlink. The service is initially targeting enterprise and business customers, particularly in rural areas, with plans to expand to serve rural residential homes.
October 2023: Project Kuiper’s Protoflight mission has achieved key milestones, including successful satellite maneuvers and extensive system tests. These results are guiding our constellation management as we expand connectivity services. The final step is de-orbiting Kuiper site one and Kuiper site two, using onboard propulsion and atmospheric drag to lower them until they burn up at about 270 miles above Earth. This process underscores our commitment to space safety and sustainability.
Optical Mesh Network In Space Will Support Global Connectivity
Project Kuiper recently revealed the last critical system onboard its satellites with the announcement of an optical intersatellite link (OISL) capability that uses infrared lasers to send data directly between satellites. We’ve completed multiple successful demonstrations of OISL technology during our protoflight mission, maintaining 100 Gbps links over nearly 621 miles (1,000 km) during the test windows. The test results ensure that OISLs will be operational on our first production satellites in 2024. These high-speed laser cross-links will form a secure, resilient mesh network in space, allowing us to increase throughput and reduce latency across our satellite constellation. This provides greater flexibility for connecting Kuiper users across land, sea, air, and space.
Project Kuiper Confirms 100% Success For Proto-Flight Mission
Within 30 days of launching two prototype satellites, Project Kuiper reached a 100% success rate for its Protoflight mission. All major systems and sub-systems on both satellites worked as expected or better after launch. Our tests let the team confirm the design of our satellite network and demonstrate 4K video streaming and two-way video calls over it. You can learn more about our mission status and watch our network performance demonstrations.
A Custom Satellite Propulsion System Allows For Safe Maneuvering In Space
A series of recent tests demonstrated that Project Kuiper’s Custom Electric Propulsion System, designed and made in-house by Amazon, can safely maneuver ice operands in space. The results mean other satellites can use propulsion to achieve and maintain their assigned orbits, maneuver to avoid world space debris and other spacecraft, and actively de-orbit at the end of their missions. The achievement advances our goal of increasing space safety and sustainability.
Project Kuiper Satellites Are Healthy
Project Kuiper engineers have confirmed that our KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 satellites are fully activated, generating power independently and communicating with our Mission Operations Center.
Project Kuiper makes first contact with prototype satellites.
On Oct. 6 at 2:06 p.m. EDT, an Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance launched from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It carried two prototype satellites from Amazon’s Project Kuiper, our low Earth orbit LEO satellite broadband project, into space and deployed them at 311 miles above Earth. The launch marked the start of our Protoflight mission. Admiral Washington confirmed the first launch with Kuiper Set 2. This was when the satellite and one of our telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C) antennas established a telemetry link for the first time. We first contacted Kuiper Set 1 at 2:54 PM EDT.
First Contact is one of the key steps in our total flight mission. It lets us start downloading data about satellite health and set up regular communications with the satellites.
Launch today started a new phase of our Prototip Flight mission, and there is a long way to go, but it’s an exciting milestone all the same, said Rajeev Bhatia, Vice President of Technology for Project Kuiper. I am tremendously grateful to the Project Kuiper team and to our partners at United Launch Alliance for their dedication in getting us to this point, and for helping us deploy our first spacecraft ever into orbit.
On November 13, 2025, Project Kuiper was renamed Amazon Leo.
On Monday, Amazon announced that its newly rebranded satellite internet service aimed at competing with SpaceX’s Starlink is now available for business trials.
A select group of businesses will test Amazon Leo’s hardware and software in an enterprise preview before a broader rollout. Amazon said this will help gather feedback and refine solutions for specific industries before full launch.
Earlier this month, Amazon renamed its satellite internet service from Project Kuiper to Amazon Leo and launched a new website. The name references low Earth orbit, where its satellites will operate within 1,200 miles of Earth.
Six years ago, Amazon announced plans to build 3,236 low-Earth orbit satellites to deliver fast, low-latency Internet to consumers, businesses, and governments using square-shaped terminals.
Since April, Amazon has launched over 150 satellites with partners including the United Launch Alliance and SpaceX.
Amazon’s goal is to compete with Starlink, SpaceX’s market-leading service with nearly 9,000 satellites in orbit.
Amazon has signed agreements with JetBlue, L3Harris, and Australia’s NBN. It is sending Pro Terminals and Ultra Antennas to businesses in the Enterprise Preview.
On Monday, Amazon revealed its ultra-model offering up to 1 Gbps download and 400 Mbps upload speeds, powered by a custom silicon chip. Amazon claims it is the fastest commercial phased array antenna available.
Amazon plans to expand the program to more customers as Leo’s coverage and capacity grow.
Amazon has not announced consumer pricing or availability.
The latest updates from Project Kuiper’s satellite test mission
