Amazon also told the FCC it would “further mitigate the risk of collision” by “coordinat[ing] during operations, in real-time, with systems through whose orbital altitudes Kuiper Satellites will transit.” The FCC subsequently approved Amazon’s orbital debris mitigation plan with license conditions requiring coordination and information-sharing with other space operators using similar orbits, SpaceX said.
“Despite its repeated representations and related license conditions, Amazon launched eight times into orbits with insertion altitudes above 450 km without submitting any amended orbital debris mitigation plan or seeking Commission approval for such a change,” SpaceX alleged. “Most recently, even with input from SpaceX, Amazon’s February 12, 2026, launch on Ariane 6 inserted its satellites at an altitude sufficiently high that it led to unmitigable collision risks with dozens of operational spacecraft.”
SpaceX alleged that “Amazon did not update its orbital debris mitigation plan” and “did not provide sufficiently accurate” information to other operators about the February launch. This “significantly increased the risks to all satellite operations near the 480 km insertion altitude as well as to inhabited spacecraft,” SpaceX said.
Amazon filed a letter with the FCC today to respond to the allegations. “The facts demonstrate that Amazon Leo launches to altitudes permitted under its license, has been transparent about its insertion altitudes with both the Commission and with SpaceX, and operates squarely within established industry safety standards,” Amazon said.
No safety violation, Amazon says
Amazon said its launch altitudes comply with the “at or near 400 km” license requirement, which provides “some flexibility in adjusting parameters.” Amazon said it went ahead with the 450 km insertion altitude because “changing near-term Ariane launch parameters would cause multi-month delays,” but has responded to SpaceX’s concerns by committing to using lower initial altitudes starting with its fourth Ariane mission. The February 12 mission was the first of 18 booked launches.
“Launch vehicle providers generally require at least months—and typically one year—to retarget insertion altitude due to the complexity of final mission analysis, which encompasses trajectory analysis, coupled loads analysis, and integrated thermal analysis,” Amazon told the FCC. “Arianespace, for example, requires three to six months for final mission analysis when changing target orbit parameters. Amazon Leo began this process immediately upon learning of SpaceX’s concerns and has worked diligently with its launch providers to implement changes as quickly as operationally feasible.”
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