Amazon Leo Emerges from the Shadows of Project Kuiper to Take on Starlink

Seven years ago, a team of six Amazon engineers began toying with the idea of satellites that could transmit internet signals to the world’s most remote locations. They called it Project Kuiper, nicknamed after a distant ring system around Neptune. It was a code name that persisted through the early stages of obtaining licenses, signing contracts, and even conducting test flights. However, with over 150 satellites already circling high above, the business has finally given it a name that accurately expresses what it is all about: Leo.

Leo takes it name from its orbit, the low-Earth orbit at around 1,200 miles up thats the sweet spot where these satellites zip around. Gone are the distant space rock references – this name is straight to the point and points directly at what this project is all about. In a blog post, Rajeev Badyal (Vice President of Amazon Leo) said that the old name had served its function, but that it was now time to give it a new name that matched the job at hand.

This rebranding comes at a pivotal moment, since Amazon began creating prototypes a few years ago and has now constructed one of the world’s largest satellite factories. From there, they built antennas that can actually draw in gigabit speeds, the first time this has been done with off-the-shelf hardware. And they’ve been launching more often since 2025, with the first 27 satellites going out on a United Launch Alliance rocket in April and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 following shortly thereafter. By November, six missions had launched 153 craft in total, all part of a larger goal to get nearly 3,200 satellites in the skies by the end of it all, with regulatory approval permitting them to spread it across 80+ flights. Early on, they had several intriguing partners coming on board, including JetBlue, NBN for connecting rural areas, and various Latin American broadcasters.

Satellites alone do not create the magic; Amazon offers a choice of dishes to meet the needs of different consumers. The Nano weighs only 2.2 pounds and has a top speed of 100 mbps. The Pro, weighing in at 5.3 pounds, boasts a 400 mbps connection, which is more than adequate for a tiny home office that need a little extra internet speed. But if you really want the works, the Ultra weighs 43 pounds and can deliver a full gigabit – that’s the kind of speed that will satisfy even the most demanding enterprise or locations that require high data flow. All three use flat panels to direct beams without moving parts, relying on signals from the sky. Amazon has kept costs quiet for the time being, but the lineup demonstrates that they are creating for everyone, from solo travelers to business fleets.

Over in SpaceX land, Starlink is running the show. They launched their beta service way back in 2020 and have now got a mind-boggling 2 million subscribers just in the United States alone, with a reach of over 150 countries worldwide. Just a few weeks ago, they launched their 10,000th satellite into orbit, and that’s delivering speeds of over 200 mbps to dishes that can be used almost anywhere you care to set them up – and they’ve even got partnerships with T-Mobile to let you text your phone from satellite, and a bunch of airlines are experimenting with in-flight internet too. Amazon’s Leo operates in the same low-orbit environment, providing comparable response times to its sluggish high-orbit counterparts. Both are after the same prize: a dependable internet connection for the billions of people who remain offline, from remote villages to disaster zones.
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