Amazon Charts New Territory: 304 Satellites in Orbit and an AI Agent That Shops for You

Amazon operates 304 satellites under Project Kuiper, now Amazon Leo, while replacing Rufus with Alexa for Shopping to enable autonomous purchases on external sites.

Amazon is pushing its operational reach into two vastly different arenas simultaneously – the skies above and the checkout line. The company now operates 304 low-Earth orbit satellites under Project Kuiper, rebranded as Amazon Leo, giving it the third-largest satellite network on the planet. At the same time, it is overhauling its shopping assistant, replacing last year’s Rufus generative AI tool with an autonomous agent called Alexa for Shopping that can complete purchases on external merchant sites.

The dual push reflects a strategic bet on infrastructure control: one in space, the other in commerce software. On Thursday, Amazon shares closed at €230.15, up 9.39% over the past month and 19.05% since the start of the year.

Space Operations Accelerate

The latest milestone came from launches on two continents in the same week, using an Ariane 64 rocket from Arianespace and an Atlas V from United Launch Alliance. After liftoff, teams in Washington take over, guiding the satellites into orbits between 590 and 630 kilometres. Amazon has secured more than 100 launches across multiple partners, including SpaceX, but Chris Weber, the company’s business and product head for the satellite division, acknowledges a critical bottleneck: the availability of heavy-lift rockets.

A recent malfunction on a partner rocket, unrelated to Amazon Leo, temporarily grounded some flight hardware and slowed production in Washington. That incident underscores the operational risk: even the best factory is useless without reliable launch vehicles. Weber is now pushing to double satellite count, launch frequency and production capacity next year, driven by regulatory deadlines and the need to attract paying customers quickly.

Commercial Targets Take Shape

Amazon is not only targeting households in underserved regions. It already has partnerships with major airlines for in-flight Wi-Fi and has unveiled a gigabit antenna for commercial aviation. Maritime shipping is also in its sights. Consumer trials and regional service offerings could begin in late 2026 or early 2027. Until then, the project remains a multi-billion-dollar test of capital deployment, logistics and customer acquisition.

The AI Shopping Overhaul

On the software side, Amazon is betting that a more autonomous agent will reshape how people shop. Rufus, launched in 2024 as a generative AI tool, is being phased out in favour of Alexa for Shopping, which features a “Buy for Me” function. That agent can complete checkouts not only within Amazon’s own marketplace but also on external merchant sites. The goal is to turn Alexa into a universal shopping layer – able to plan recurring purchases, track prices and capture purchase intent even when Amazon itself does not sell the product.

The shift is more than a name change; it moves the customer interface away from search and toward automated execution. Amazon declined to comment on reports that it might cut 14,000 jobs, with a spokesperson calling the rumour false and unsupported by facts. Instead, the company says it is redirecting resources toward high-growth AI areas, which aligns with the new shopping strategy.

Strong Financial Foundation

Amazon’s ability to finance both ventures rests on solid quarterly results. In the first quarter, revenue reached $181.52 billion, beating the consensus estimate of $177.28 billion. Earnings per share came in at $2.78, well above the $1.63 analysts had expected. That financial flexibility allows the company to absorb the heavy upfront costs of satellite production and AI development while also expanding its third-party logistics business, which it plans to run as a more independent unit.

The coming months will test whether the new AI agent can gain traction on Amazon’s enormous user base. Meanwhile, the satellite network inches closer to commercial reality, albeit with the ever-present risk that rocket shortages or production delays could slow momentum. Both projects share a common thread: Amazon is building layers of infrastructure – physical and digital – that extend its influence far beyond e-commerce and cloud computing.