Amazon has officially retired the long-running Project Kuiper name, unveiling a new consumer-facing brand—Amazon Leo—as it prepares to bring its satellite internet service to market.
After seven years of development, hundreds of prototype tests, and a growing fleet of operational satellites, the company said the time was right to move away from the codename – inspired by the Kuiper Belt, a ring of asteroids in our outer solar system – that dates back to the project’s early design phase.
The new name is a reference to low Earth orbit (LEO), where Amazon’s satellites will operate.
Building a Constellation
Amazon now has more than 150 LEO satellites in orbit, a number that will grow significantly as it executes what it previously described as “the largest set of launch contracts in history.” Amazon has regulatory approval for over 3,200 satellites and plans to serve five markets, including the United States, by the end of Q1 2026. The company has already secured some early customers, like jetBlue for in-flight WiFi.
A Direct Challenge to Starlink—With an Enterprise Angle
Unlike Starlink’s early push for mass-market adoption, Amazon is positioning Leo as an enterprise-grade platform with deeper integrations across AWS, cloud services, government applications, and aviation. That focus could give Amazon an edge in areas where reliability and service guarantees matter more than raw subscriber count.
Amazon Leo’s debut also arrives as Starlink continues aggressive expansion. SpaceX has launched thousands of satellites and recently crossed 8 million active customers, along with global partnerships for aviation, disaster response, and emergency communications.
Amazon hasn’t yet shared a firm launch date for the Amazon Leo service, saying it will begin “once we’ve added more coverage and capacity to the network.”
