A dispute between SpaceX and Amazon over the future of satellite infrastructure is heating up, with the chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) publicly criticizing Amazon for challenging SpaceX’s plan to deploy up to 1 million satellites in orbit.
The proposal, which would create a vast network of space-based data centers powered by solar energy to support artificial intelligence workloads, has drawn opposition from Amazon and others, but the FCC’s top regulator says the criticism may be misplaced.
The debate started after a recent application from SpaceX seeking regulatory approval to deploy up to 1 million satellites in low Earth orbit. The proposed megaconstellation would serve as a network of solar-powered space-based data centers designed to process artificial intelligence workloads.
Amazon has strongly pushed back against the proposal. In a filing with the FCC earlier this month, the company argued that the plan lacks key technical details and may be unrealistic to execute.
“At best, the Application appears to be an exercise in publicity and messaging—and at worst, an attempt to stake a priority claim over a vast swath of orbital resources with no genuine intent to deploy,” Amazon wrote in its submission.
The filing also claimed the proposal appears to be “a lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” adding that deploying a constellation of that size could take centuries given global launch capacity.
However, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr dismissed Amazon’s criticism and instead pointed to the slower progress of the company’s own satellite network.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr said in a post on X.
Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit. https://t.co/90Vn20Fq1R
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) March 11, 2026
Carr reinforced that position in comments to Reuters, saying, “I think Amazon should focus on getting Amazon’s house in order with their own launches and their own satellite constellation, rather than worrying about other people that are actually out there launching satellites at the pace and cadence that SpaceX is.”
The clash highlights the widening gap between the two companies in the race to build large satellite internet networks. SpaceX’s Starlink system currently dominates the market, with roughly 9,000 satellites already in orbit and millions of customers worldwide. The FCC recently approved an additional 7,500 Gen2 satellites, expanding Starlink’s global coverage and enabling new services like direct-to-cell connectivity.
Amazon, meanwhile, is developing its competing broadband network known as Project Kuiper, sometimes referred to in filings as Amazon LEO. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the effort but has launched only about 200 satellites since deployments began last year.
Under current FCC rules, Amazon must deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, a milestone the company has already acknowledged it will likely miss. Amazon has asked regulators for a 24-month extension, pushing the deadline to 2028, citing limited rocket availability and manufacturing delays.
For now, the FCC has not ruled on SpaceX’s application, leaving the future of what could become the largest satellite network ever proposed still uncertain.
