Amazon is dropping the “Project Kuiper” name and renaming its “Starlink” competitor to “Amazon Leo”. The company also launched a new website for the service.
Project Kuiper started off as a code name for Amazon’s satellite internet ambitions. “We’ve hit some important milestones under that name, but there’s lots more on the horizon, and it seemed like a good time to share our permanent brand for the program,” – says VP Rajeev Badyal.
The name is a reference to the low Earth orbit (LEO) in which the company’s satellites will fly. The lower orbit has already allowed SpaceX to provide satellite internet speeds of 200 Mbps and higher to users on the ground, and Amazon plans to do the same, as geostationary satellites in higher orbits struggle to compete with Starlink.
Amazon has also received regulatory approval to launch and operate more than 3,200 satellites in low-Earth orbit. However, the company currently has only about 150 in space as it works to launch more. The head of Project Kuiper previously revealed that the company aims to serve five markets, including the US, by the end of the first quarter of 2026.
The company faces a big uphill battle with Starlink, which already has more than 2 million active customers in the US and has expanded to more than 150 markets around the world.
Leo’s website also includes a sign-up that allows you to receive email updates from the company about the service. It’s not yet clear how much Amazon’s satellite internet service will cost.
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