Overview
- Amazon confirmed the new consumer-facing brand and said it now has more than 150 satellites in orbit, shifting the program from internal R&D to a commercial service identity.
- The company is targeting initial broadband availability in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and France before the end of March 2026, according to an executive timeline reported earlier.
- Amazon says it has built advanced customer terminals, including a phased‑array antenna it claims can support gigabit speeds, and has signed early partners such as JetBlue, L3Harris, DIRECTV Latin America, Sky Brasil and Australia’s NBN Co.
- Meeting the FCC requirement to have 1,616 satellites operating by July 2026 will require a rapid launch cadence across multiple providers.
- SpaceX has completed its contracted launches for the constellation, ULA has remaining Atlas V flights, and further deployment depends on newer vehicles—Vulcan (back flying), Ariane 6 (Ariane 64 variant now expected in 2026) and Blue Origin’s New Glenn (next flight slated for today).