Amazon has requested an extension from the Federal Communications Commission, aiming for a new deadline of July 30, 2028, to deploy half of its planned 3,232 low Earth orbit satellites, known as Amazon Leo. The current deadline is set for July 30, 2026, indicating a significant delay in the project.
The company has invested over $10 billion in its satellite constellation and arranged more than 100 launches. However, Amazon acknowledged challenges in securing timely launches due to manufacturing issues, the grounding of new launch vehicles, and spaceport capacity limitations. These factors have necessitated a reduction in production rates at its Kirkland, Washington facility, where Amazon Leo can typically produce up to 30 satellites each week.
Furthermore, a prototype satellite test mission conducted in 2023 revealed the need for unexpected re-engineering, delaying full-scale manufacturing by approximately nine months. To date, Amazon has successfully launched 180 production-grade satellites aboard four Atlas 5 rockets and three Falcon 9 rockets, with more launches expected soon using ULA’s Vulcan and Ariane 6 rockets.