Inaugural Ariane 64 to launch Amazon Leo satellites from Kourou

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Arianespace is set to launch the most powerful configuration of its Ariane 6 vehicle for the first time. The company aims to launch at the start of a 28-minute window opening on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 16:45 UTC. Lifting off from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, the four-booster Ariane 64 variant will carry 32 satellites to orbit for Amazon’s Leo constellation of internet satellites, formerly known as Kuiper.

In addition to being the inaugural flight of the Ariane 64 variant, this mission will mark several other firsts. Named Leo Europe 01 (LE-01) by Amazon and designated VA267 by Arianespace, the flight is the first to launch Amazon Leo satellites on a European rocket and the first Ariane 6 launch for a commercial customer. Moreover, the mission will introduce the rocket’s elongated fairing.

Lifting off from the Ensemble de Lancement Ariane-4 (ELA-4) launch pad at the Guiana Space Centre, the rocket will fly a northeasterly trajectory. The four solid rocket boosters will separate at T+02:25 minutes after launch at an altitude of approximately 87 km, after which the main stage will continue firing for several minutes.

The rocket’s fairings are set to separate at T+03:11 minutes, exposing the 32 satellites to space. At T+07:43 minutes, the main stage will shut off and separate, followed by the ignition of the upper stage. Later, at T+01:11:00 hours, the stage will relight to deliver the spacecraft to their 465-km low-Earth orbit, inclined 51.9 degrees.

The 32 Amazon Leo satellites will separate from the Ariane 6 one by one over a 25-minute period, starting at T+01:29:00 hours into the mission. Following separation and initial health checks, the satellites will raise their orbits to 630 km. Meanwhile, the Ariane 6 upper stage will ignite for a third time at T+02:42:00 hours after launch for its deorbit burn, putting it on a trajectory to safely reenter Earth’s atmosphere.

The LE-01 payloads, encapsulated inside the Ariane 6 fairing, arrive at the launch pad. (Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/ArianeGroup/Optique video du CSG–T. Leduc)

Once in space, the 32 satellites will join Amazon’s Leo satellite internet constellation. Originally named Project Kuiper, Amazon rebranded the service in November 2025. Once operational, the constellation will offer broadband internet access to customers and communities worldwide, relaying data between Amazon’s ground stations and customer terminals.

The mission marks the first of 18 Ariane 6 launches for Amazon Leo, and the eighth operational mission for the constellation, which previously saw launches atop the United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V and SpaceX’s Falcon 9, all flown in 2025. LE-01 brings the total number of Leo satellites launched up to 212, in addition to the two demonstration satellites launched in 2023. With over 80 additional heavy-lift launches on the manifest, Amazon recently received approval to expand the constellation to more than 7,000 satellites.

Although the first flight of the Ariane 64 configuration, this mission will mark the sixth flight of Ariane 6 since its introduction on July 9, 2024. All previous missions flew the Ariane 62 variant, which features two P120C solid rocket boosters (SRB) instead of the four featured on Ariane 64.

Both Ariane 6 variants share the same main stage, powered by a single Vulcain 2.1 engine that uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants. The upper stage uses the same propellants, utilizing a single Vinci engine. Ariane 6 introduced the Auxiliary Propulsion Unit (APU) on the upper stage, which enables relights of the Vinci engine, allowing for more complex mission profiles and safely deorbiting the stage after the mission.

Ariane 6 supports two fairing options, 14 m and 20 m tall, both matching the 5.4-m diameter of the first and second stages. The LE-01 mission introduces the long, 20-m version, housing the satellites during the first phases of flight until an altitude of approximately 127 km.

Massing about 20 tonnes, the 32 Amazon Leo spacecraft approaches Ariane 64’s maximum payload capacity without filling up the fairing’s volume. To increase payload capacity, Arianespace is developing an upgraded Ariane 6 Block 2.

Ariane 6 Block 2 features the larger P160C SRBs, which extend the P120C by 1 m while retaining the same main-stage connections, increasing its propellant capacity by 14 tonnes to 156 tonnes. Since the P120C also functions as the first stage for Avio’s Vega-C, the Vega family will also use the P160C booster for upgraded capacity. ArianeGroup and Avio have developed the P160C to increase the performance of both rockets by about 10% at no additional cost.

The French Space Agency (CNES) tested the P160C qualification motor at the Guiana spaceport on April 24, 2025, firing the booster for two minutes and 20 seconds. Following the successful test, the upgraded booster is scheduled to start flying in 2026. Notably, 16 of the 18 contracted Ariane 6 missions for Amazon Leo will employ this booster.

“This is our first launch of 2026, our inaugural mission with Arianespace as part of our 18-launch agreement, and the first of three new heavy-lift rockets joining our manifest this year,” said Rajeev Badyal, vice president of Amazon Leo. “These powerful launch vehicles allow us to deploy more satellites per mission, which will help us get service to customers as quickly as possible. Teams have done everything they can to prepare for a nominal first mission, and we’re looking forward to many more Leo Europe missions in 2026.”

(Lead image: Illustration depicting Ariane 64 launching a batch of Amazon Leo satellites. Credit: Arianespace)

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