Amazon Leo Builds Its 1,000th Satellite: When Can You Order It?

In an October 8 update, Amazon said it recently completed its 1,000th Leo satellite, while only 396 have launched because it is waiting for rockets (Space Intel Report). Chris Weber, Amazon's vice president of business, told Ars Technica: "the plan is to launch initial service in 2026." The first generation is planned at 3,232 satellites, and Amazon says a Gen 2 is filed with the FCC and in design.

Launch supply. Amazon said it expects its first launch on ULA's Vulcan rocket and a third flight on Europe's Ariane 64 "in the coming weeks" (Space Intel Report). Rajeev Badyal, who leads Leo, told Ars Technica Vulcan is "weeks away" after a nozzle issue that he said has been fixed, and that at least one more Vulcan launch should follow this year. These are company statements and schedules have slipped before. Ars notes Amazon also still has to raise satellites into final position and finish ground work before service starts.

Unknown. Weber said Amazon will compete on "value," meaning price, performance and extras, and on easy setup, but he gave no prices, speeds or plan details. Starlink's own pricing varies by address, so compare real quotes once Amazon publishes them. We will update our Starlink vs Amazon Leo comparison when it does.

Businesses lead the pitch. Amazon highlighted AES-256 encryption, an optional private link from the antenna through the satellite to a customer's own data center or AWS without touching the public internet, professional installation and service-level agreements (Ars Technica). Delta has already picked Amazon Leo over Starlink for its planes, from 2028 according to Deseret News; see our airline Wi-Fi explainer. Consumer features such as portability and mobility come later as coverage grows, Weber said.

If you need internet now, there is nothing to wait for: Amazon has no date, price or sign-up for consumers yet. If you can wait a few months and want to compare, nothing stops you from watching both. Check your address on starlink.com for current availability and pricing. If you order through our referral link, you get the same reward as the person who referred you, which Starlink gives as cash or service credit once you have been subscribed for two months (Starlink's US example is $100; the amount shown in your Starlink account is what counts).

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• Ars Technica: Amazon builds 1,000th satellite, is weeks away from space Internet rollout (Oct. 8, 2026)
• Space Intel Report: Amazon Leo on track for initial service this year (Oct. 9, 2026)
• Telecompaper: Amazon Leo says on track for services launch before year-end