Amazon's satellite internet constellation — rebranded as Amazon Leo in November 2025 — has deployed hundreds of production satellites and is scaling rapidly and is rapidly scaling toward its 3,236-satellite target. OrbitalNodes tracks every Kuiper / Amazon Leo satellite in real time.
OrbitalNodes' constellation counter shows how many Kuiper / Amazon Leo satellites are above your horizon right now, how many are in good viewing position, and when the next one will pass overhead. With launches accelerating through 2026 this count is growing fast.
★ OPEN KUIPER COUNTERProject Kuiper is Amazon's satellite internet constellation, rebranded as Amazon Leo in November 2025. It's a direct Starlink competitor targeting homes, businesses, airlines, and enterprise customers globally with broadband from low Earth orbit. Amazon received FCC approval in 2020, committed over $10 billion to the project, and began launching production satellites in April 2025. Commercial service launched in select markets in 2026.
Amazon Leo has launched hundreds of satellites across multiple missions since April 2025, with deployment accelerating rapidly through 2026. Far behind Starlink's 10,200+ but the cadence is increasing sharply. Amazon has contracted 100+ launch missions across multiple rockets. OrbitalNodes' live counter shows exactly how many are currently above your horizon — the most accurate real-time figure available.
Kuiper satellites are faint — around magnitude 5, near the limit of naked-eye visibility in dark skies. They're much dimmer than the ISS or Tiangong, comparable to the faintest stars visible without optical aid. During twilight when they catch sunlight they may be briefly visible from dark locations. Binoculars make them significantly easier to track. OrbitalNodes shows predicted magnitude for each pass.
Starlink has a massive head start — 10,200+ operational satellites versus Kuiper's growing early-stage constellation. Technically, Kuiper orbits slightly higher (590-630km vs 550km) and uses three orbital shells at different inclinations. Kuiper leverages Amazon's AWS infrastructure and retail distribution. Both target satellite broadband but Kuiper is also pitching airlines (JetBlue signed up) and enterprise via AWS cloud integration.
Kuiper uses three orbital shells: 630 satellites at 590km in 51.9° inclination orbits covering higher latitudes; 1,296 satellites at 610km in 33° inclination optimised for mid-latitude regions; and 1,156 satellites at 630km in 26° inclination focused on tropical coverage. This multi-shell architecture covers most of Earth's population with the minimum total satellite count.
Amazon requested an extension of the July 2026 FCC deadline that required 1,618 satellites in orbit by that date. Amazon has requested an extension — reaching 1,618 by the original deadline would require an extremely aggressive launch cadence not achievable in the available window. The FCC extension request is pending. Full deployment of 3,236 satellites is required by 2029 under the original licence terms.
At 3,236 satellites Kuiper will add meaningfully to LEO crowding. Individual satellites at magnitude 5 are fainter than Starlinks but collectively they increase sky brightness and astrophotography interference. Amazon has not published brightness mitigation plans. A study found Amazon Leo satellites create streaks in astronomical images comparable to early Starlink. This is an active concern in the astronomy community.
OrbitalNodes fetches live TLE data for all tracked Amazon Leo satellites and propagates orbits using the SGP4 algorithm — the same method used by space agencies worldwide. The constellation counter shows how many are above your local horizon right now. New satellites are added to the tracker within hours of their TLE data appearing in public catalogs after each launch.