Launch Boosts Amazon Leo Satellite Count to Near 400

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket successfully deployed 29 Amazon Leo satellites into low Earth orbit early this morning from Cape Canaveral, Florida, bringing the total number of the Kirkland-made satellites in orbit to 396 since the first satellites were launched in April 2025.

Today’s mission, the 14th for Redmond-based Amazon Leo, formerly Project Kuiper, began with a 12:30 a.m. EDT liftoff and was the final launch for Amazon Leo on ULA’s Atlas rocket. Amazon’s next Leo mission with ULA will be on its new heavy-lift Vulcan rocket, which will carry more satellites and help increase Amazon Leo’s deployment rate, according to an Amazon Leo news post.

The ULA Vulcan rocket is capable of lifting 40-plus satellites, according to an illustration on Amazon Leo’s website showing various satellite configurations by rocket category. In addition to ULA, which has launched 57% of all Amazon Leo satellites, launch partners have included SpaceX with its Falcon 9 rocket and Arianespace with its Ariane 6 rocket. Future launches also are planned on heavy-lift New Glenn rockets from Kent-based Blue Origin.

“Atlas V has played a critical role in the early deployment phase for Amazon Leo, launching 224 satellites with a 100% success rate across all eight missions, and we’re excited to build on that foundation with ULA as we transition to Vulcan,” Melissa Wuerl, Amazon Leo director of launch systems, said in a statement. “With hundreds of flight-ready satellites standing by at the Cape and a new, dedicated vertical integration facility ready to support Leo Vulcan 1 and subsequent missions, we have a clear path to increase launch and deployment cadence, helping us quickly expand network coverage following an initial service rollout later this year.”

Atlas V today deployed Amazon Leo’s satellites at an altitude of about 289 miles above Earth, after which the Amazon Leo team assumed control of the mission from its 24-hour mission-operations center in Redmond. The satellites will be raised to their assigned operational altitude of 392 miles and fully commissioned to begin delivering high-speed internet service to customers.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, in his letter to shareholders on April 9, wrote, “While Amazon Leo is officially scheduled to launch in mid-2026, we already have meaningful revenue commitments from enterprises and governments. Most recently, Delta Airlines, the highest grossing airline in the world, has announced it’s chosen Amazon Leo for its future Wi-Fi, and will begin with 500 planes in 2028. They join other Leo customers like JetBlue, AT&T, Vodafone, DIRECTV Latin America, Australia’s National Broadband Network, NASA, and others.”

The nearly 400 satellites in orbit so far are part of an eventual constellation of more than 3,200 for Amazon Leo.

In a ULA news release this morning, Gary Wentz, ULA’s vice president of Atlas and Vulcan programs, said, “ULA has been a trusted launch partner since the beginning of the Amazon Leo program. Each launch advances Amazon’s vision for worldwide connectivity, and we’re proud to help build the backbone of their commercial architecture.”

Amazon Leo plans to increase its launch rate over time and has more than 100 launches secured to date, it said.