Amazon’s satellite broadband service Leo is pretty much ready to launch.
According to the e-commerce giant, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket launched in the early hours of July 2nd and successfully deployed 29 Amazon satellites. Amazon says that all that is needed is to raise the satellites to their assigned operational altitude of 392 miles (approx. 630 km), and then the service can become operational.
The ULA launch brings the total number of operational satellites to over 390, which is “enough to support continuous service across initial latitudes,” according to Chris Webber, VP, Amazon Leo. This is now the Atlas V’s last mission for the project after delivering 224 satellites in space, with the next mission set to use ULA’s heavy-lift Vulcan rocket. This Vulcan rocket can carry more than 40 satellites per launch and fly more frequently, which Engadget notes can expand the service’s coverage and capacity faster.
Amazon is also planning to use Blue Origin’s New Glenn vehicle for some missions, which can carry more than 48 satellites at once. The New Glenn has seen a bit of a setback, since it exploded back in May, but the Jeff Bezos-founded Blue Origin has been building a new launchpad for the vehicle so that New Glenn flights can take place by the end of the year.
Now, with only 390 satellites in orbit, there is still a long way to go compared to the more than 10,000 satellites that Starlink has serving customers requiring satellite broadband services. However, once it becomes operational, I imagine it won’t be long before Amazon Leo becomes a viable alternative.
