Amazon Leo Considers Accelerated Atlas V Launches
Amazon is in talks with United Launch Alliance (ULA) to potentially accelerate some Atlas V launches for its low-Earth-orbit broadband satellites amid a pause of the launch service provider’s Vulcan rocket, says Chris Weber, vice president of Amazon Leo for Consumer & Enterprise Business.
The U.S. Space Force said late last month it would not launch any National Security Space Launch Vulcan rockets until it completes the investigation into a Feb. 12 solid rocket motor anomaly that occurred during the USSF-87 mission from Cape Canaveral SFS.
Weber, speaking at SATShow 2026, indicated the Atlas V acceleration would be at least partly linked to the Vulcan operational pause. He did not detail how the company’s launch plans might change.
Still, the company asked the U.S. Federal Communication Commission (FCC) in late January for schedule relief from a deadline to deploy about 1,618 satellites, or half of the original constellation size, before August because it projects that only 700 satellites will be deployed by that point.
The e-commerce giant asked for a 24-month extension of the interim deadline.
A switch could still leave Amazon Leo in catch-up mode. A Vulcan can launch more than 40 Amazon Leo satellites. An Atlas V can loft up to 29.
The company has three launches planned through April. Next is a planned flight of an Atlas V for the Leo Atlas 5 mission. LA-05 is scheduled for March 29 flying from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The launch will mark the first time Amazon will put 29 satellites on an Atlas V, or two more than on prior missions. That is enabled by a higher-performing version of the RL10C engine used on the rocket’s Centaur upper stage, which has flown before but not for Amazon, the company said. This will be the heaviest Atlas V payload ever flown, Amazon noted.
The next two launches are due in April, Weber said.
The company also is gearing up to offer its service to customers. Service start is “months away,” Weber said.
The launch pace and satellite production are both accelerating. After 11 launches in the first 12 months of starting to deploy its constellation, the pace should double over the next 12 months, he said. The coming launches are due to include the first on Vulcan and Blue Origin’s New Glenn. The inaugural Vulcan mission is due to carry 40 satellites, with the first New Glenn lofting 48, Amazon said.
The company has 200 satellites built and ready, awaiting shipment for launch, Weber said. Amazon also is looking to push up satellite production pace at its facility in Kirkland, Washington. It can produce up to 30 satellites per week, though the rate of output is linked to launcher readiness.
“We are doing everything we can with the launch providers to accelerate,” Weber said.
Weber signaled that the company, which uses four launch vehicles, is not looking to streamline. “We think there is value in the diversity,” Weber said. Amazon uses Arianespace’s Ariane 6, the two ULA launchers, and Blue Origin’s New Glenn. The company has more than 100 launches under contract, he noted.
Amazon Leo is also working on its second generation of satellites, he noted.
