Week in Space Data, every Friday.
Starlink vs Amazon Kuiper: which is further along? Starlink is far further along. As of Aug 27, 2026, 11,102 Starlink satellites were in orbit; as of Aug 31, 2026, Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) had about 391, of the 3,232 its FCC licence allows, so Starlink has roughly 28 times as many.
SpaceX's operating Starlink network against Amazon's Leo constellation, which is still being built: constellation scale, technical approach, pricing and commercial readiness, with sources.
Satellite counts: Starlink, Aug 27, 2026; Amazon Leo, Oct 8, 2026. Other figures checked Oct 11, 2026; sources are listed below the table.
| Metric | Starlink | Amazon Leo |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX (Starlink) | Amazon (Amazon Leo, renamed from Project Kuiper in Nov 2025) |
| Service Start | Service to customers since 2020 | Not yet in commercial service; Amazon says service begins in 2026 (Oct 2026) |
| Satellites in Orbit | 11,102 (Aug 27, 2026) | 396 in orbit (Amazon, Oct 8, 2026) of 3,232 authorized |
| FCC Authorization | 15,000 second-generation satellites (FCC, Jan 9, 2026), on top of its first-generation licence | 3,232 Gen1 satellites (3,236 when first granted in July 2020; reduced in 2024) |
| Orbital Altitude | SpaceX said in Jan 2026 it would lower its satellites at about 550 km to about 480 km during 2026 | 590, 610 and 630 km (FCC authorization) |
| Inter-Satellite Links | Yes: over 23,000 inter-satellite lasers (Mar 31, 2026) | Yes: optical links on production satellites |
| Launch Providers | SpaceX (Falcon 9; Starship planned for V3 satellites) | ULA (Atlas V, Vulcan), Arianespace (Ariane 6), Blue Origin (New Glenn), and SpaceX (Falcon 9) |
| Subscribers | 12.0 million (June 30, 2026) | None yet (no commercial service as of Oct 2026) |
| Typical Latency | Median about 25 ms (Mar 31, 2026) | No figure yet (service not launched) |
| Download Speed | Median 225 Mbps at peak hours, residential (Mar 31, 2026) | Terminals designed for up to 100 Mbps (Leo Nano), 400 Mbps (Leo Pro) and 1 Gbps (Leo Ultra) |
| User Terminal | Starlink Kit (user terminal and accessories) | Leo Nano, Leo Pro and Leo Ultra |
| Consumer Pricing (US) | Monthly fee varies by market and download speed | Not announced (July 2026) |
| Parent Company Market Cap | SpaceX (~$1.94T, Nasdaq: SPCX) | Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN); Amazon Leo is not valued separately |
Figures as of Nov 10, 2026 (auto-updated daily from company profiles). Information only, not investment advice. Full disclaimer
Starlink is an operating network: 11,102 satellites in orbit as of Aug 27, 2026, and SpaceX reported 12.0 million Starlink subscribers at June 30, 2026, double the 6.0 million of a year earlier. SpaceX reported a median Starlink latency of about 25 milliseconds and a median peak-hour download speed of 225 Mbps for residential users as of March 31, 2026. It launches the satellites on its own Falcon 9 rockets and plans to start launching larger V3 satellites on Starship in the second half of 2026.
Amazon Leo is still being built. Amazon said in October 2026 that it had 396 satellites in orbit and had built its 1,000th, with service to begin in 2026; it has not announced pricing. It has launch contracts with ULA, Arianespace and Blue Origin and has also flown on SpaceX's Falcon 9. A New Glenn rocket exploded during a static fire test at its Cape Canaveral pad on May 28, 2026, ahead of a planned Amazon Leo launch. On June 5, 2026 the FCC waived the requirement to have 1,616 satellites up by July 30, 2026, with conditions, and kept the deadline for all 3,232 by July 30, 2029.
Track both constellations on SpaceNexus
Starlink is far further along. As of Aug 27, 2026, 11,102 Starlink satellites were in orbit; as of Aug 31, 2026, Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) had about 391, of the 3,232 its FCC licence allows, so Starlink has roughly 28 times as many.
Yes. Amazon renamed Project Kuiper to Amazon Leo in November 2025. Its first-generation FCC authorization now covers 3,232 satellites (3,236 when first granted in 2020). Older coverage still says Kuiper.
Not yet. As of October 2026 Amazon said service would begin in 2026, and it had not announced pricing. Starlink is available now; SpaceX says its monthly fee varies by market and download speed.
Amazon has contracts with ULA (Atlas V and Vulcan), Arianespace (Ariane 6) and Blue Origin (New Glenn), and it has also launched satellites on SpaceX's Falcon 9. A New Glenn rocket exploded during a static fire test at its Cape Canaveral pad on May 28, 2026, ahead of a planned Amazon Leo launch.
Yes. Its FCC authorization required 1,616 satellites by July 30, 2026 and all 3,232 by July 30, 2029. On June 5, 2026 the FCC waived the 2026 milestone with conditions but kept the 2029 deadline; if Amazon misses it, its authorization shrinks to the satellites operating on that date.