Amazon has secured a foothold to mount a full-fledged chase in the satellite internet market dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Amazon said on the 10th (local time) that its low Earth orbit satellite communications service "LEO" received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch an additional 4,500 second-generation satellites. With this, Amazon's total constellation will expand to 7,700 satellites.
The newly approved satellites will be deployed at an altitude of about 644 kilometers, widening service coverage through expanded frequency bands and added polar orbits. However, the FCC set strict deadlines as a condition. Amazon must place half of the approved satellites in orbit by Feb. 10, 2032, and all of them by Feb. 10, 2035, CNBC reported.
Separately, Amazon must deploy 1,600 first-generation satellites by July this year, but it has requested an extension or exemption and is awaiting the FCC's response. Amazon entered the satellite internet business in 2019 with "Project Kuiper," has launched about 150 satellites to date, and changed the service name to "LEO" last November while signaling commercialization.
The gap remains large. SpaceX's Starlink is operating more than 9,000 satellites and has 9 million subscribers. Amazon will invest an additional $1 billion in satellite network build-out this year, and plans more than 20 launches within the year and more than 30 launches in 2027.
Brian Olsavsky, Amazon's chief financial officer (CFO), said the company will "increase launch cadence in stages." Amazon plans to launch 32 additional satellites on an Arianespace rocket on the 12th from French Guiana. Meanwhile, Amazon is also pursuing a satellite internet service for ships through agreements with maritime technology company Elcome and telecom operator MTN.