Launched in April this year, the Kuiper program aims to place more than 3,200 satellites into orbit, creating a constellation designed to deliver fast and reliable internet to homes, businesses and remote communities around the world.
The program began with 27 satellites carried into space on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and has since gathered pace through a mix of ULA and SpaceX launches. Four missions have already been completed, lifting the constellation to 105 satellites in orbit.
The most recent launch, Kuiper Falcon 2 (KF-02), took place on 11 August 2025, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 deployed 24 satellites from Cape Canaveral.
That followed the Kuiper Falcon 1 mission in July, which placed another 24 spacecraft into orbit. Earlier, ULA carried out two Atlas V missions, Kuiper Atlas 1 in April and Kuiper Atlas 2 in June, each deploying 27 satellites.
Amazon is now preparing for its next mission, Kuiper Atlas 3 (KA-03), scheduled for 25 September 2025. The launch, again aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, will add another 27 satellites and lift the constellation to 129 spacecraft.
Once deployed, the satellites are first released into a parking orbit around 450 kilometres above Earth. From there, mission controllers at Amazon’s operations centre in Redmond, Washington, assume control, running health checks before raising the satellites to their final orbit of around 630 kilometres.
The program is still in its early phases, but the rapid sequence of launches underlines Amazon’s determination to establish Kuiper as a competitor to existing satellite broadband services, including Elon Musk’s Starlink.
With more than 80 missions planned in total, the company intends to accelerate deployment over the coming years as it builds out the full 3,200-strong constellation.
For Amazon, the project represents not only a multibillion-dollar investment but also a chance to expand its global reach into regions underserved by traditional internet infrastructure, from isolated rural communities to disaster-hit areas where connectivity is critical.