Amazon calls on regulator FCC to reject rival SpaceX's 'million satellite' space data centre plan
Amazon’s satellite internet division, Amazon Leo (previously called Project Kuiper), has asked the US Federal Communications Commission ( FCC) to dismiss SpaceX’s proposal to deploy a massive constellation of up to one million satellites as orbiting data centres.
In a 17-page filing, Amazon argues that the plan is unrealistic and lacks the technical detail required for regulatory review. The company claims the proposal could take “centuries” to deploy and warns that approving it may disrupt other operators in low-Earth orbit.
The company noted that SpaceX describes the project as a “first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilisation” and a move towards “ensuring humanity’s multiplanetary future among the stars”. It questions why the FCC is even reviewing the application, saying the Commission has historically rejected “speculative, conceptual, or otherwise incomplete filings”.
Amazon Leo warns that approving the request could force other satellite operators to plan around a system that might never be built. “At best, the Application appears to be an exercise in publicity and messaging—and at worst, an attempt to stake a priority claim over a vast swath of orbital resources with no genuine intent to deploy,” the filing states.
Missing technical details
Amazon argues that SpaceX’s application does not include basic radio-frequency (RF) and orbital information required by FCC rules. Satellite operators must normally provide key details such as beam information, orbital planes, and how satellites will be distributed across those so-called “representative planes”.
However, Amazon says SpaceX has provided data for only three satellites, about 0.0003% of the proposed system, and has not described the full constellation.
The filing also points out that SpaceX does not specify key parameters such as the size of the satellites or the exact orbital configuration. Instead, the proposal broadly states that satellites could operate anywhere between 500 km and 2,000 km in altitude, with an additional 100 km tolerance on either end of this range.
According to Amazon, this level of detail is far too limited for regulators and other satellite operators to properly assess interference risks or orbital safety.
Lack of information
Amazon also says the proposal fails to provide sufficient information on space safety and long-term sustainability. While the application includes several pages discussing safety, Amazon claims much of it simply repeats regulatory language without detailed analysis.
For example, the filing says SpaceX has not explained how it would manage collision risks with other spacecraft, handle conjunction-avoidance manoeuvres, or ensure safe deorbiting of satellites.
At the proposed scale, Amazon argues that collision avoidance would require near-continuous manoeuvres, placing significant pressure on existing tracking and coordination systems.
The company also raises concerns about satellite disposal. It is not clear if SpaceX plans to dispose of these satellites including geostationary satellite orbit (GSO) graveyard orbits or left in medium-Earth orbit (MEO). SpaceX's application provides several options such as heliocentric disposal (sending a spacecraft out of Earth’s orbit and into an orbit around the Sun), disposal in other orbits above 2,000 km, or atmospheric re-entry, but fails to provide any explanation of how it will choose a strategy.
Even if the system achieved a 99% disposal success rate, Amazon notes that around 10,000 satellites could still fail to deorbit safely. This raises serious concerns about long-term space debris, sustainability and collisions.
‘A speculative and unrealistic system’
Finally, Amazon argues that the proposal itself is speculative and lacks a realistic deployment plan. The application seeks approval for “up to” one million satellites, but does not clearly state that SpaceX intends to deploy that full number.
SpaceX also requests waivers from rules that normally require companies to meet deployment milestones and provide financial guarantees. Amazon says this could allow the company to claim orbital resources without committing to actually building the system.
The company also highlights the sheer scale of the proposal. In 2025, a record year for global space launches, about 4,526 satellites were sent into orbit worldwide. At that pace, Amazon says deploying one million satellites would take more than 220 years, even if every launch globally were dedicated to SpaceX’s project.
Maintaining such a constellation would be even more demanding. With an estimated five-year satellite lifespan, the system would require about 200,000 replacement satellites every year, far beyond current global launch capacity.
Amazon concludes that the proposal is unrealistic and warns that approving it could create uncertainty and competition over orbital resources without any guarantee that the system would ever be built.
In a 17-page filing, Amazon argues that the plan is unrealistic and lacks the technical detail required for regulatory review. The company claims the proposal could take “centuries” to deploy and warns that approving it may disrupt other operators in low-Earth orbit.
The company noted that SpaceX describes the project as a “first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilisation” and a move towards “ensuring humanity’s multiplanetary future among the stars”. It questions why the FCC is even reviewing the application, saying the Commission has historically rejected “speculative, conceptual, or otherwise incomplete filings”.
Amazon Leo warns that approving the request could force other satellite operators to plan around a system that might never be built. “At best, the Application appears to be an exercise in publicity and messaging—and at worst, an attempt to stake a priority claim over a vast swath of orbital resources with no genuine intent to deploy,” the filing states.
Missing technical details
Amazon argues that SpaceX’s application does not include basic radio-frequency (RF) and orbital information required by FCC rules. Satellite operators must normally provide key details such as beam information, orbital planes, and how satellites will be distributed across those so-called “representative planes”.
However, Amazon says SpaceX has provided data for only three satellites, about 0.0003% of the proposed system, and has not described the full constellation.
The filing also points out that SpaceX does not specify key parameters such as the size of the satellites or the exact orbital configuration. Instead, the proposal broadly states that satellites could operate anywhere between 500 km and 2,000 km in altitude, with an additional 100 km tolerance on either end of this range.
According to Amazon, this level of detail is far too limited for regulators and other satellite operators to properly assess interference risks or orbital safety.
Lack of information
Amazon also says the proposal fails to provide sufficient information on space safety and long-term sustainability. While the application includes several pages discussing safety, Amazon claims much of it simply repeats regulatory language without detailed analysis.
For example, the filing says SpaceX has not explained how it would manage collision risks with other spacecraft, handle conjunction-avoidance manoeuvres, or ensure safe deorbiting of satellites.
At the proposed scale, Amazon argues that collision avoidance would require near-continuous manoeuvres, placing significant pressure on existing tracking and coordination systems.
The company also raises concerns about satellite disposal. It is not clear if SpaceX plans to dispose of these satellites including geostationary satellite orbit (GSO) graveyard orbits or left in medium-Earth orbit (MEO). SpaceX's application provides several options such as heliocentric disposal (sending a spacecraft out of Earth’s orbit and into an orbit around the Sun), disposal in other orbits above 2,000 km, or atmospheric re-entry, but fails to provide any explanation of how it will choose a strategy.
Even if the system achieved a 99% disposal success rate, Amazon notes that around 10,000 satellites could still fail to deorbit safely. This raises serious concerns about long-term space debris, sustainability and collisions.
‘A speculative and unrealistic system’
Finally, Amazon argues that the proposal itself is speculative and lacks a realistic deployment plan. The application seeks approval for “up to” one million satellites, but does not clearly state that SpaceX intends to deploy that full number.
SpaceX also requests waivers from rules that normally require companies to meet deployment milestones and provide financial guarantees. Amazon says this could allow the company to claim orbital resources without committing to actually building the system.
The company also highlights the sheer scale of the proposal. In 2025, a record year for global space launches, about 4,526 satellites were sent into orbit worldwide. At that pace, Amazon says deploying one million satellites would take more than 220 years, even if every launch globally were dedicated to SpaceX’s project.
Maintaining such a constellation would be even more demanding. With an estimated five-year satellite lifespan, the system would require about 200,000 replacement satellites every year, far beyond current global launch capacity.
Amazon concludes that the proposal is unrealistic and warns that approving it could create uncertainty and competition over orbital resources without any guarantee that the system would ever be built.
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