Amazon orders six additional Ariane 6 launches for its Leo constellation

Amazon Leo has ordered six additional Ariane 64 launches from Arianespace, the European operator announced Wednesday 9 September 2026 at the International Space Summit in Paris. The agreement increases the number of Ariane 6 missions planned to deploy Amazon’s low Earth orbit internet constellation from 18 to 24 through 2031.

The six new flights are scheduled to begin in 2029 from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. They will use Ariane 64, the most powerful version of Ariane 6, equipped with four boosters and designed to carry heavy payloads to low Earth orbit.

The contract extends the agreement signed in 2022 between Amazon and Arianespace, which initially covered 18 launches. For the Ariane 6 program, this order provides greater commercial visibility at a time when Europe is seeking to accelerate the cadence of its new heavy launcher and strengthen its autonomous access to space.

Arianespace reports having already placed 100 Amazon Leo satellites into orbit over three Ariane 6 missions completed in less than five months in 2026. More than 25% of the constellation’s satellites deployed to date have thus been launched from Europe, according to the company.

Amazon is developing Leo to provide high-speed, low-latency internet access from a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit. The network aims to compete notably with SpaceX’s Starlink, as the American group accelerates launches to gradually expand its global coverage.

Ariane 64 gains momentum

The third Amazon Leo mission operated by Arianespace, on 17 June, placed 36 satellites into orbit. It used the new P160C boosters developed by ArianeGroup, which increase Ariane 64’s payload capacity by more than two tons compared to the previous configuration.

The first two flights in the series each carried 32 satellites. The integration of the P160C boosters thus allowed an increase in the number of devices launched in a single mission, a key issue for constellations that require dozens of launches to reach operational size.

Reuters highlights that the agreement also strengthens Amazon’s dependence on European capabilities while the American launch supply remains constrained. So far, the group has largely used United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rockets, the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture, alongside other launchers planned in its manifest.

Amazon accelerates Leo deployment

Amazon had initially planned a constellation of 3,232 satellites. In June, the group obtained a relaxation of a regulatory deadline that previously required it to launch half of them during the summer, after citing insufficient launcher availability.

The program, long known as Project Kuiper, targets individuals, businesses, and governments located beyond the coverage of traditional terrestrial networks. The deployment of Amazon’s constellation is part of a global competition for satellite internet, so far dominated by Starlink.

With the six missions announced Wednesday, the schedule entrusted to Arianespace now extends through 2031. All new launches are to depart from the European spaceport in Kourou, where previous Amazon Leo missions were also prepared and operated.