Ariane 6 to launch 36 Amazon Leo satellites on November 23 for its tenth flight
The next commercial Arianespace flight will serve Amazon's internet constellation, a competitor to Starlink. If successful, 136 Amazon Leo satellites will have been placed in orbit by the European launcher.
A tenth Ariane 6 flight departing from Kourou
Arianespace announced on October 14, 2026 an Ariane 6 launch scheduled for November 23, 2026 at the earliest. The rocket will depart from Kourou (French Guiana) with 36 Amazon Leo satellites on board. Arianespace designates this mission VA271, Amazon calls it LE-04.
The flight will use the Ariane 64, the version equipped with four P160C boosters. Entering service in July 2024, Ariane 6 will thus carry out its tenth flight. In 2026, three launches have already placed 100 satellites of the constellation in orbit.
According to Clubic, cited by the same media, ArianeGroup has resolved the turbopump issue that appeared during the summer during ground testing.
An Amazon order expanded to 24 launches
The contract expanded in September 2026: Amazon added six Ariane 64 flights to the 18 originally ordered. The total reaches 24 missions, with launches scheduled through 2031.
Amazon Leo, formerly Project Kuiper, is Amazon's satellite internet network. According to the AFP, the constellation comprised slightly fewer than 400 devices in early September. The first generation is to comprise approximately 3,200, while Starlink has more than 11,000.
Airbus is directly concerned with this program as a 50% co-shareholder alongside Safran, of ArianeGroup, prime contractor for the Ariane 6 launcher. Its subsidiary Arianespace commercializes launches and benefits from the Amazon Leo order, expanded to 24 missions in September 2026.
