WASHINGTON, July 2 (Reuters) - Amazon expects to launch the initial phase of its broadband satellite internet service, Leo, later this year, an executive said on Thursday, after its latest launch brought the number of satellites in its orbital constellation to more than 390.

The latest batch of Amazon satellites, comprising 29 satellites, launched from Florida early Thursday morning aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket, marking the 14th launch in dozens of planned launches to deploy more than 3,200 satellites to provide global internet coverage from space.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us, including getting all of these new satellites up to the designated altitude,” said Chris Webber, president of Amazon’s Leo division, in a post on X. “We have completed enough launches to provide initial service this year, and future missions will only increase coverage and capacity.”

Weber did not specify the region where Amazon plans to launch the service, but the initial service is expected to begin near the Earth's North and South Poles, then gradually expand towards the equator as more satellites are added.

Jonathan McDowell, a spaceflight analyst and astronomer at Harvard University, said the constellation now includes 394 satellites in orbit out of 398 launched since April 2025.

Amazon's growing Leo satellite constellation is a promising competitor to SpaceX's Starlink, which has around 10,000 satellites. Similar to Starlink, Amazon plans to offer internet service to consumers who own Leo receivers, which range in size from roughly the size of a laptop to larger, more powerful versions, as well as to governments and businesses such as airlines.