Friday, June 19, 2026

Ariane 6 lofts 36 Amazon Leo satellites in record payload

Amazon Leo

Arianespace launched 36 Amazon Leo broadband satellites aboard an Ariane 64 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on June 17 - four more than each of the two previous Amazon missions and the heaviest payload ever flown by an Ariane rocket. The flight debuted the launcher's upgraded P160C solid boosters and was the third Ariane 6 mission dedicated to Amazon's constellation, deploying the spacecraft to roughly 465 km. The added capacity matters as Amazon races to build out its Leo network while Blue Origin's New Glenn remains grounded after a May 28 pad explosion.