Add this to the list of problems afflicting modern-day society: not enough rockets. Whereas Wile E. Coyote never seemed to have a problem getting a hold of a rocket when he wanted to terrorize the Roadrunner, even Amazon might have trouble hitching a ride to space.

And it’s playing havoc with Amazon’s attempts to send up its Leo broadband internet satellites to compete with Musk’s Starlink.

Not enough rockets?

Amazon filed a request for a two-year extension with the FCC on January 30, 2026, citing its inability to find enough rockets to send Leo’s satellites into orbit.

“From the launch of its initial production satellites onward, unexpected slips and scrubs of scheduled launch dates have extended Amazon Leo’s deployment timeline,” Amazon wrote in its extension request. “Some delays pushed initial launch dates years beyond their original projections, resulting in significant backlogs that in some cases ballooned after additional issues delayed subsequent missions.”

Funnily enough, though, even though Amazon’s Leo is a direct competitor to Musk’s Starlink satellite internet, Amazon has gone ahead and purchased 10 additional launches with Musk’s SpaceX program to help meet its demand for rocket rides, along with 12 more rocket launches with Blue Origin, which was also set up by Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos.

That’s in addition to the “more than 100 launches” that Amazon has already contracted for Leo. Each launch deploys several dozen Leo satellites, and still, that isn’t enough to meet Amazon’s target.

By FCC’s rules, Amazon has to deploy at least half of its planned satellites within six years of its initial plan, which kicked off in 2020. According to CNBC, that means it needs to put about 1,600 satellites into orbit by July 2026.

Should the FCC grant Amazon’s two-year extension, that pushes back the deadline to 2028. Having said that, the extension wouldn’t affect the planned deadline for having all (roughly) 3,200 satellites in orbit by July 20, 2029.