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Program tracker · Amazon (licensed by the FCC)

Amazon Leo tracker: satellites launched against the FCC deadlines

Name: SpaceNexus program tracker: Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper)
Creator: SpaceNexus
Published: 2026-09-27
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

For satellite operators and investors tracking deployment pace, policy readers following the FCC milestone rules, and journalists asking whether Amazon is on schedule.

The FCC authorized Amazon's first-generation system of 3,236 satellites on July 30, 2020 (FCC 20-102); a later modification cut it to 3,232. As modified, the licence required 1,616 satellites deployed by July 30, 2026 and requires 3,232 by July 30, 2029 (DA 26-553).
Sources: FCC Space Bureau, Kuiper Systems LLC, Application for Extension or Waiver of the Milestone Deadline, Order (DA 26-553) (Jun 5, 2026); FCC, Kuiper Systems LLC, Order and Authorization (FCC 20-102) (Jul 30, 2020)
Amazon asked on January 30, 2026 for two more years to reach the halfway mark, or a waiver. On June 5, 2026 the FCC's Space Bureau (DA 26-553) granted a conditioned waiver and found it need not rule on the extension: the licence is not cut back, but satellites deployed after July 30, 2026 lose processing-round priority until half the constellation is up, or March 30, 2028 at the latest.
Sources: FCC Space Bureau, Kuiper Systems LLC, Application for Extension or Waiver of the Milestone Deadline, Order (DA 26-553) (Jun 5, 2026); Payload, FCC Gives Amazon Leo More Time to Launch (Jun 9, 2026) [secondary]
When the FCC approved the first-generation system in July 2020, Amazon said it "will invest more than $10 billion" in the program. It renamed Project Kuiper as Amazon Leo on November 13, 2025.
Sources: Amazon, Amazon receives FCC approval for Project Kuiper satellite constellation (Jul 30, 2020); Amazon, Amazon rebrands Project Kuiper as Amazon Leo: What to know (Nov 13, 2025)
On April 14, 2026 Amazon agreed to acquire Globalstar, with closing expected in 2027.
Sources: Amazon, Amazon to acquire Globalstar and expand Amazon Leo satellite network (Apr 14, 2026)
Amazon's mission log lists 14 missions and 396 production satellites through July 2, 2026. McDowell counts 398 launched, including two prototypes, with 343 on station as of September 24, 2026.
Sources: Amazon, Amazon Leo mission updates (Jul 2, 2026); GeekWire, Amazon Leo says its latest launch gives it enough satellites to start broadband internet service (Jul 2, 2026) [secondary]; Jonathan McDowell (planet4589), Constellation list (Sep 24, 2026) [secondary]

Curated rows checked against their sources on Sep 27, 2026; database rows (awards, satellites, launches) are read live and cached for an hour. Every fact links its source. Nothing here is sponsored, and no company can pay to change, reorder or preview it. Spotted an error? Report a correction.

On the record

Compiled Nov 12, 2026 from 5 public records. Every figure links the record it comes from.

Contracts announced by the customer or the contractor

6 announced awards

Newest: Arianespace, 6 more Ariane 6 launches, taking Arianespace from 18 to 24

Source: Amazon

Announced Sep 10, 2026

Launches flown for the program

14 launches

14 full successes, 0 partial, 0 failed

How this is counted

Counted from our Launch Library record, which begins 2024-11-18.

Prime contracts and values

Two views that do not add up to each other: what the customer or contractor announced (often a ceiling or a total over many years), and what USAspending shows actually obligated.

As announced

Contracts announced for Amazon Leo, newest first, with the value as announced and its basis
Announced	Contractor	What	Value as announced	Award record
Sep 10, 2026	Arianespacefor Amazon	6 more Ariane 6 launches, taking Arianespace from 18 to 24Launch servicesNo value published. Sources: Amazon, Amazon Leo adds 6 new Arianespace launches, expanding its launch partnership

Known subcontractors and suppliers

Subawards reported to USAspending (FFATA)

No public data in our pipeline yet: our FFATA subaward table holds no record for this program's award IDs. Primes report first-tier subawards to USAspending, and we will list them here when our subaward sync reaches these awards.

Suppliers named in public announcements

Beyond Gravity (formerly RUAG Space) for Amazon: Satellite dispensers; Amazon says the largest order in Beyond Gravity's history, with a second plant in Linköping, SwedenAnnounced by Amazon, Apr 5, 2022. Not a USAspending subaward record.
Sources: Amazon, Amazon makes historic launch investment to advance Project Kuiper (Apr 5, 2022)
United Launch Alliance for Amazon: More than $200 million of Amazon-funded upgrades at ULA's Cape Canaveral launch facilities: a dedicated vertical integration facility for Amazon Leo (VIF-A), a new rail system and second mobile launch platform, and a second transport ship for rocket boosters

Satellites and payloads launched

From GCAT, Jonathan McDowell's General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects.

398 payloads catalogued, of which 392 in orbit by GCAT's status code.

Built by: Kuiper Systems LLC (398).

Payloads by launch, newest first, from GCAT
Launched	Launch (COSPAR)	Payloads	Count	In orbit	Maker and bus
Jul 2, 2026	2026-151	Kuiper-00258 to Kuiper-00662 (29)	29	29	Kuiper Systems LLCKuiper
Jun 17, 2026

Launches, upcoming and flown, with slip history

Upcoming

93 on the schedule; 0 have slipped at least once since we began recording on Aug 29, 2026. A date is shown only as precisely as the schedule knows it.

Upcoming Amazon Leo launches, soonest first, with slip history
Scheduled	Mission	Rocket	Slip history
Nov 13, 2026	Vulcan VC6L \| Amazon Leo (LV-01)Launch Library record	Vulcan VC6L	No slip recorded
Nov 23, 2026	Ariane 64 Block 2 \| Amazon Leo (LE-04)

Licences and filings

GCAT counts 392 of the program's payloads in orbit (GCAT file dated Sep 24, 2026). That is a catalogue count, not an FCC determination: the FCC counts satellites launched and operating, on the operator's own certification.

First generation: half the constellation (1,616 satellites) launched and operating
Deadline: July 30, 2026 for 1,616 satellites. Status: Waived by the regulator, with conditions.
"Section 25.164(b) requires Kuiper to launch and operate 50 percent of its satellites no later than July 30, 2026" (FCC (the 50% condition is in FCC 20-102; the 1,616 figure is DA 26-553's, for the licence as modified to 3,232 satellites))
On June 5, 2026 the Space Bureau (DA 26-553) waived automatic termination, with satellites launched after July 30, 2026 losing processing-round priority; Amazon's mission log totals 396 production satellites as of July 2, 2026.
392 of 1,616 (24%) by the GCAT count
Sources: FCC Space Bureau, Kuiper Systems LLC, Application for Extension or Waiver of the Milestone Deadline, Order (DA 26-553) (Jun 5, 2026); FCC, Kuiper Systems LLC, Order and Authorization (FCC 20-102)

On the Promise Ledger

Related entries, linked rather than repeated; each is scored on its own page.

Kuiper beta testing with select customers in the second half of 2024Amazon (Project Kuiper / Amazon Leo); due Dec 31, 2024Met late (Promise Ledger)
Project Kuiper service for its earliest customers beginning in 2024Amazon (Project Kuiper / Amazon Leo); due Dec 31, 2024Revised (Promise Ledger)
Kuiper full-scale deployment beginning in 2024Amazon (Project Kuiper / Amazon Leo); due Dec 31, 2024Revised (Promise Ledger)
11 Amazon Leo launches in the first year of deployment

How this page is built: the contract values under “As announced”, the suppliers, the schedule statements and the context are curated from primary sources and dated. The USAspending awards, GCAT payloads and launches are our own database rows, matched to the program by the rule printed under each table, so a row the rule misses is absent rather than guessed. Cite as “SpaceNexus program tracker: Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper)” with the link and the date you read it.

Source: Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs)

Latest Jul 2, 2026

Launches on the schedule

93; 0 slipped

Next: Vulcan VC6L | Amazon Leo (LV-01), Nov 13, 2026

How this is counted

A slip counts only when both dates were known to the day (the Launch Ledger rule), so a placeholder date rolling forward is not a slip.

Source: Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs)

Schedule read; slips recorded since 2026-08-29 Nov 12, 2026

Payloads in the GCAT catalogue

398 launched; 392 in orbit

Main maker: Kuiper Systems LLC (398)

How this is counted

The catalogue we hold covers launches through 2026-07-11.

Source: GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org)

GCAT file dated Sep 24, 2026

FCC halfway milestone (July 30, 2026)

392 of 1,616 in orbit

In-orbit count from GCAT; the FCC counts satellites launched and operating.

Source: FCC Space Bureau

Deadline Jul 30, 2026

Satellite data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0.

Cite this program trackerAPA, Chicago or BibTeX, with this page's link and dates. The page is live, so cite its as-of date

APA

SpaceNexus. (2026, November 12). Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper): Program tracker [Data set]. Retrieved November 12, 2026, from https://spacenexus.us/programs/amazon-leo

Chicago

SpaceNexus. "Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper): Program tracker." Data as of November 12, 2026. Accessed November 12, 2026. https://spacenexus.us/programs/amazon-leo.

BibTeX

@misc{spacenexus_amazonleoformerlyprojectkuiper_2026,
  author       = {{SpaceNexus}},
  title        = {{Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper)}: Program tracker},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = nov,
  howpublished = {\url{https://spacenexus.us/programs/amazon-leo}},
  url          = {https://spacenexus.us/programs/amazon-leo},
  urldate      = {2026-11-12},
  note         = {Data as of 2026-11-12; each fact links its primary source}
}

Amazon Leo is paid for by Amazon, so its launch contracts are commercial and carry no published values. No primary source we found names suppliers for its gateways, optical links or customer terminals.

No USAspending award in our mirror matches this program's rule.

Our USAspending mirror is filled company by company for the 493 companies we track, so awards to anyone else are not in it. Rule: Amazon Leo is a commercial program paid for by Amazon, not a government procurement. We list any USAspending award whose own description names Kuiper or Amazon Leo, from any agency.

Announced by Amazon, Mar 23, 2026. Not a USAspending subaward record.

Sources: Amazon, Amazon Leo plans to double launch rate with 20+ missions in year two (Mar 23, 2026)

Rule: GCAT payloads owned by Kuiper Systems LLC or Amazon, including the two 2023 prototypes. The catalogue we hold covers launches through Jul 11, 2026 (GCAT file dated Sep 24, 2026); later launches are not in it yet. Satellite data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. GCAT.

14 flown in our record (it begins Nov 18, 2024): 14 successes, 0 partial failures, 0 failures. Launch outcomes are the launch vehicle's, as Launch Library records them.

Flown Amazon Leo launches, newest first
Launched	Mission	Rocket	Outcome
Jul 2, 2026	Atlas V 551 \| Amazon Leo (LA-08)Launch Library record	Atlas V 551	Success
Jun 17, 2026	Ariane 64 Block 2 \| Amazon Leo (LE-03)Launch Library record	Ariane 64 Block 2	Success
May 29, 2026	Atlas V 551 \| Amazon Leo (LA-07)Launch Library record	Atlas V 551	Success
Apr 30, 2026	Ariane 64 \| Amazon Leo (LE-02)Launch Library record	Ariane 64	Success
Apr 28, 2026	Atlas V 551 \| Amazon Leo (LA-06)Launch Library record	Atlas V 551	Success
Apr 4, 2026	Atlas V 551 \| Amazon Leo (LA-05)Launch Library record	Atlas V 551	Success
Feb 12, 2026	Ariane 64 \| Amazon Leo (LE-01)Launch Library record	Ariane 64	Success
Dec 16, 2025	Atlas V 551 \| Amazon Leo (LA-04)Launch Library record	Atlas V 551	Success
Oct 14, 2025	Falcon 9 Block 5 \| Amazon Leo (KF-03)Launch Library record	Falcon 9 Block 5	Success
Sep 25, 2025	Atlas V 551 \| Amazon Leo (KA-03)Launch Library record	Atlas V 551	Success
Aug 11, 2025	Falcon 9 Block 5 \| Amazon Leo (KF-02)Launch Library record	Falcon 9 Block 5	Success
Jul 16, 2025	Falcon 9 Block 5 \| Amazon Leo (KF-01)Launch Library record	Falcon 9 Block 5	Success
Jun 23, 2025	Atlas V 551 \| Amazon Leo (KA-02)Launch Library record	Atlas V 551	Success
Apr 28, 2025	Atlas V 551 \| Amazon Leo (KA-01)Launch Library record	Atlas V 551	Success

Rule: Launch Library launches named for Amazon Leo or Kuiper. Slips use the Launch Ledger rule: a move counts only when both dates were known to the day, so a placeholder rolling from one month or year to the next is never a slip. Schedule data from Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).

; Amazon, Amazon Leo mission updates (Jul 2, 2026)

Unconfirmed: Amazon's written milestone notice to the FCC, due in August 2026, was not located.

Waiver condition: priority restored when half are up, or by March 30, 2028

Deadline: March 30, 2028 (October 30, 2027 if Amazon certifies construction and launches) for 1,616 satellites. Status: Pending.

"Amazon Leo satellites deployed after July 30, 2026 will lose such priority status until the earlier of either" (FCC (condition in DA 26-553))

The demotion runs until half the constellation is launched and operating or March 30, 2028, whichever comes first.

Sources: FCC Space Bureau, Kuiper Systems LLC, Application for Extension or Waiver of the Milestone Deadline, Order (DA 26-553) (Jun 5, 2026)

This row on the Promise Tracker

First generation: all 3,232 satellites

Deadline: July 30, 2029 for 3,232 satellites. Status: Pending.

"Amazon Leo is required to deploy 1,616 satellites by July 30, 2026 and deploy 3,232 satellites by July 30, 2029." (FCC (DA 26-553, restating FCC 20-102 as modified))

The June 2026 waiver does not cover this final deadline; missing it caps the licence at the satellites operating that day.

392 of 3,232 (12%) by the GCAT count

Sources: FCC Space Bureau, Kuiper Systems LLC, Application for Extension or Waiver of the Milestone Deadline, Order (DA 26-553) (Jun 5, 2026); FCC, Kuiper Systems LLC, Order and Authorization (FCC 20-102) (Jul 30, 2020)

This row on the Promise Tracker

Second generation (3,212 satellites): half deployed

Deadline: February 10, 2032 for 1,606 satellites. Status: Pending.

"Kuiper must launch 50 percent of the maximum number of authorized space stations ... no later than February 10, 2032" (FCC (Space Bureau grant, condition 12b))

McDowell shows no second-generation satellites launched as of September 24, 2026.

Sources: FCC Space Bureau (grant document hosted by GeekWire), Grant, Kuiper Systems LLC, SAT-LOA-20211104-00145 and SAT-AMD-20250311-00068 (Feb 10, 2026); GeekWire, FCC clears Amazon Leo to boost satellite broadband coverage and cover polar regions (Feb 11, 2026) [secondary]; Jonathan McDowell (planet4589), Constellation list (Sep 24, 2026) [secondary]

Unconfirmed: The 1,606 figure is our arithmetic (half of 3,212); the grant states the percentage.

This row on the Promise Tracker

Polar system (1,292 satellites): half deployed

Deadline: February 10, 2032 for 646 satellites. Status: Pending.

"Kuiper must launch 50 percent of the maximum number of authorized space stations ... no later than February 10, 2032" (FCC (Space Bureau grant, condition 12c))

McDowell shows no polar satellites launched as of September 24, 2026.

Sources: FCC Space Bureau (grant document hosted by GeekWire), Grant, Kuiper Systems LLC, SAT-LOA-20211104-00145 and SAT-AMD-20250311-00068 (Feb 10, 2026); Jonathan McDowell (planet4589), Constellation list (Sep 24, 2026) [secondary]

Unconfirmed: The 646 figure is our arithmetic (half of 1,292).

This row on the Promise Tracker

Second-generation and polar systems: all 4,504 satellites

Deadline: February 10, 2035 for 4,504 satellites. Status: Pending.

"operate them in accordance with the authorization no later than February 10, 2035" (FCC (Space Bureau grant, conditions 12b and 12c))

None of the 4,504 had launched as of September 24, 2026 (McDowell).

This row on the Promise Tracker

Amazon (Project Kuiper / Amazon Leo); due Apr 30, 2026

Met (Promise Ledger)

About 700 satellites in orbit by July 30, 2026 (Amazon's own estimate)Amazon (January 30, 2026 filing, as described by the FCC); due July 30, 2026Missed (Promise Tracker: Megaconstellations)

Amazon asks to move the halfway deadline to July 30, 2028, or waive itAmazon (filing of January 30, 2026, as described by the FCC); due requested new date: July 30, 2028Waived by the regulator, with conditions (Promise Tracker: Megaconstellations)

Newsletter

Amazon Leo tracker: satellites launched against the FCC deadlines

On the record

Prime contracts and values

As announced

Known subcontractors and suppliers

Subawards reported to USAspending (FFATA)

Suppliers named in public announcements

Satellites and payloads launched

Launches, upcoming and flown, with slip history

Upcoming

Licences and filings

On the Promise Ledger

On USAspending

Flown