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Why Amazon is Going All-In On the Space Coast in 2026

By  //  January 27, 2026

In the past, we’ve reported on the first successful launch of Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) satellites from Cape Canaveral. Now, in 2026, residents of the Space Coast should expect a significant increase in launch activity, as Amazon races to hit a deadline imposed by the federal government.

What is Amazon Leo?

Amazon Leo is the new name for Project Kuiper, which officially rebranded in November 2025. It’s Amazon’s response to SpaceX’s Starlink, using low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to create a constellation that beams internet connections down to users, even in remote locations. It’s an emerging internet market that, once in place, could sidestep long-term infrastructural costs and deliver fast internet anywhere.

Once in place, these satellite constellations can support and enhance the reach of digital services that depend on the internet. That includes government services, especially during times of infrastructural disruption, as well as the vast digital entertainment economy that most of us participate in. As a rule, these satellites can support high-quality streaming, video conferencing, and online gaming through platforms like sweepstakes casinos. The key takeaways from High 5 and other growing digital entertainment operators are the need to allow widespread internet access, providing a bigger playing field where they can compete in the digital economy. By offering free game coins, deposit bonuses, and other promotions, we can see the competition within the industry requires. Naturally, Florida is just the start; these projects aim to provide internet for most of the world’s countries. Today, Starlink operates in over 150 countries across the globe.

Amazon Leo’s 2026 Launch Plans

To launch satellites using one of America’s most famous space launch stations, Amazon Leo had to get a nod from the federal government. In 2020, they developed a plan alongside the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deliver 3,236 satellites across the next decade. Progress was slow-moving until 2025, when they conducted seven launches from Cape Canaveral, most of them covered here at Space Coast Daily. To do so, they purchased rockets from Jeff Bezos’ own Blue Origin, the United Launch Alliance (ULA), and even their competitors over at Starlink.

Having launched just 180 satellites, Amazon Leo is in its earliest stages and isn’t yet available to the public. This is important because, as part of their agreement with the FCC, Amazon needs to have half of its total planned constellation in space before mid-2026. That means they’d need to launch approximately 1,438 satellites in the next six months. With 2025’s Atlas V and Falcon 9 rockets, each containing 24-27 satellites, it would take some 54 to 60 launches, with a rocket launched every week, to hit their target. That’s unfeasible even for a giant like Amazon, leaving them with two options. They can apply for an extension from the FCC, or they can double down in 2026 using heavy-lift vehicles. They may even do both.

Amazon’s Heavy-Lift Rocket Race

We already know that Amazon is pursuing heavy-lift rocket launches in 2026 to get closer to that goal. In particular, they have commissioned Vulcan Centaurs from ULA, Ariane 64s from Arianespace, and New Glenn rockets from Blue Origin. 46 planned launches will use Vulcan Centaurs at the Kennedy Space Center. 12 to 27 will use the New Glenn instead; NASA recently used one of these to launch its ESCAPADE mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. 18 launches are planned for the Ariane 64, but they’ll happen at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.

With Amazon’s space race officially on, only time will tell if they can hit the FCC’s deadline. Given that they are one of the only competitors to Starlink at the moment, alongside China’s Thousand Sails constellation, it’s likely the FCC will give them more time if they fall short. Even still, a successful Amazon Leo with 3,000+ satellites will have a lot of catching up to do if it wants to compete with Starlink’s 42,000+ satellite constellation.