Amazon is up against a regulatory clock to get its satellites on orbit and in a functioning constellation. It has a requirement from its agreement with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to get at least half of its planned first-generation constellation of more than 3,200 satellites in operation by the end of July 2026.
They plan to launch at least 1,546 more satellites within the next year? Press X to doubt.
In addition to the remaining Atlas 5 rockets at its disposal, Amazon also purchased 38 Vulcan rockets, 18 Ariane 6 rockets, 12 New Glenn rockets (with the option to add another 15) and three Falcon 9 rockets from ULA, Arianespace, Blue Origin and SpaceX respectively.
Neither Vulcan, Ariane 6, or New Glenn currently have the necessary cadence. The remaining Atlas Vs won't be enough, and they only bought three Falcon 9s. Unless one or more of the new vehicles can unexpectedly ramp up their flight rate, I just don't see it happening. Could Amazon ask the FCC for an extension?