Practically three weeks after Amazon Leo exec Chris Weber mentioned the platform’s industrial service launch was “months away,” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has fine-tuned that timing to “mid-2026.”
Amazon Leo, Jassy defined Thursday on this letter to shareholders, “is formally scheduled to launch in mid-2026,” he mentioned, whereas referencing a current take care of Delta Airways that can deliver connectivity to an preliminary batch of 500 jets in 2028.
Jassy didn’t reveal a extra exact launch date or supply a lot element on pricing, apart from to say that Amazon Leo’s “efficiency will come at a decrease value than options.”
Amazon Leo, which is designed to combine with AWS, has teed up a set of merchandise that will probably be able to delivering completely different ranges of speeds that concentrate on each residential and enterprise prospects.
The Amazon Leo Nano – a 7×7-inch, 2.2-pound bundle – will assist as much as 100 Mbit/s downstream, nonetheless lots for 4K streaming, gaming and video calls, in keeping with the corporate. The Amazon Leo Professional – a 11×11-inch system weighing in at 5.3 kilos – will ship as much as 400 Mbit/s downstream. The high-end Amazon Leo Extremely – a 20x30x1.9-inch system weighing 43 kilos – will goal commercial-class prospects and ship as much as 1 Gbit/s downstream and 400 Mbit/s upstream.
200-plus satellites deployed, 200-plus on deck
Jassy promised that Amazon Leo’s “efficiency will probably be stronger (about six to eight instances higher on uplink, and two instances higher on downlink) than what prospects have entry to now.” He did not reference any opponents by title. Nevertheless it’s clear that amongst that group is Starlink, whose residential service maxed out at about 400 Mbit/s; it additionally has plans to supply speeds of 1 Gbit/s to enterprise prospects. Starlink has an enormous lead on Amazon Leo, having deployed greater than 10,000 satellites and signed on north of 10 million subscribers worldwide, together with an estimated 2.5 million-plus within the US.
Jassy additionally didn’t present a lot element on Amazon Leo’s preliminary protection areas and whether or not there will probably be some gaps early on. He famous that Amazon Leo has deployed greater than 200 low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The corporate has one other 200 prepared for launch, and expects to develop its LEO constellation to 700 satellites by this July. Amazon Leo’s long-term plan requires a constellation of three,236 LEO satellites, although it has requested the FCC for a 24-month extension on the primary half of that deployment aim.
Faster launch cadence coming
Final month, Amazon Leo introduced plans to double its annual launch charge, referencing upcoming Atlas V payloads that can accommodate 29 satellites and an funding of greater than $200 million on upgrades at United Launch Alliance (ULA) launch services at Cape Canaveral. Greater than 20 missions are deliberate for yr two of deployment, together with launches on the bigger New Glenn (from Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin) and Vulcan Centaur (from ULA) rockets, which every can ship 40-plus satellites into low-Earth orbit.
The picture under illustrates how Amazon Leo expects its payloads to extend because it’s ready to make use of bigger launch automobiles.
(Supply: Amazon Leo)
Amazon Leo mentioned its devoted manufacturing facility in Kirkland, Washington, has the capability to construct as much as 30 satellites per week. The corporate can also be investing within the Vandenberg Area Drive Base in California to assist future Amazon Leo missions on the West Coast.