SpaceX readies Starship’s first orbital try with 26 Starlink V3 satellites
Amazon’s extended FCC deadline comes with a condition: it must move quickly on deployment.
SpaceX is preparing a Starship flight carrying 26 Starlink V3 spacecraft; it will also try to put Starship into orbit, making the mission a step toward upgraded service as Amazon Leo struggles to build a competing network. Amazon Leo has not added satellites since its July 2nd success, when a ULA Atlas V delivered 29; it has launched 396, compared with more than 11,000 Starlink satellites in operation, while SpaceX has launched 552 since July 2nd. Amazon’s deployment pace is also constrained by ULA’s Vulcan, grounded by the US Space Force since February 2026 after a booster problem that remains under investigation. To add launch capacity, Amazon has booked six more Arianespace A64 flights, taking its contracted total from 18 to 24. Separately, the FCC has extended Amazon’s deadline to launch half of its planned 3,232 satellites, with faster progress as a condition.
Why it matters
Amazon is still building toward a network far smaller than Starlink’s as SpaceX prepares to advance its upgraded service. Additional launch bookings give Amazon another way to deploy satellites, but its progress remains exposed to launch constraints and the need to move quickly. Whether those bookings translate into faster deployment will shape how the two networks develop.
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Sources
- The Verge