Amazon · SpaceX · FCC · Ars Technica
FCC lifts looming deadline for Amazon Leo satellite broadband constellation
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The Federal Communications Commission has waived a requirement for Amazon to launch half of its satellite broadband constellation by the end of July, a key regulatory reprieve that buys the tech giant time to get more of its spacecraft into orbit.
Key facts
- When Amazon asked the FCC in January to extend or waive this year’s deadline, the company estimated it was on pace to have deployed around 700 satellites by July 30, 2026
- First, Amazon had to launch half of its 3,232 satellites by July 30, 2026, to maintain authorization to launch the rest of the network
- Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket is on contract for 18 launches for Amazon Leo
- SpaceX’s Falcon 9, capable of launching 24 Amazon Leo satellites at a time, has launched three times for Amazon
Summary
Amazon won regulatory approval for the Amazon Leo network in July 2020. It has been apparent for some time that Amazon would not meet the FCC’s requirement to launch half of its satellites —1,616 spacecraft —by the end of next month. The FCC made its decision public in a letter Friday signed by Jay Schwarz, chief of the FCC Space Bureau. “Waiver serves the public interest by promoting a second large satellite broadband constellation,” the FCC said.