The US FCC approves Amazon to deploy 4,500 satellites

Glonghui, February 11｜The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on Tuesday local time that it has approved Amazon's application to deploy 4,500 satellites. This will expand Amazon's satellite constellation, enabling it to compete with Musk's SpaceX. With the FCC's approval, Amazon's planned low Earth orbit satellite constellation will reach about 7,700 satellites. Since April last year, the company has launched more than 150 satellites using multiple rocket launch service providers. Amazon stated that its goal is to begin offering satellite internet services later this year through a service called "Leo." The project was announced in 2019. According to the announcement, Amazon's next batch of satellites will be its second-generation orbital system, operating at an altitude of about 400 miles (approximately 644 kilometers). The additional satellites will support more frequency bands and expand the coverage of the Leo satellites. The US Federal Communications Commission stated that Amazon must launch 50% of the approved satellites by February 10, 2032, and the remaining half by February 10, 2035.