Amazon Leo Expands Arianespace Order to 24 Ariane 6 Launches

Amazon (AMZN ) said on September 10, 2026 that its Amazon Leo satellite business has ordered six additional Ariane 6 launches from Arianespace, expanding its contracted total from 18 to 24 launches and extending what the company described as the largest commercial contract in the launch provider’s history.

Arianespace announced the agreement on September 9, 2026 at the International Space Summit in Paris. The six additional missions are Ariane 64 launches that will lift off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, with the new flights beginning in 2029 and missions scheduled through 2031, building on the initial 18 launches already underway.

Amazon stated that the expanded commitment provides a long-term demand signal that supports the continued ramp-up of Ariane 6 and helps Arianespace grow launch capacity for commercial and institutional customers. Arianespace stated that the additional launches give it greater long-term visibility and support the continued ramp-up of Ariane 6, and that the added capacity will allow it to serve both the commercial market and Europe’s institutional missions, including major European space programs and future constellation deployments. The launch provider said it is working with its European partners to steadily increase launch capacity to meet growing demand across its customer base.

Recent Missions and Vehicle Upgrades

Arianespace flew its first mission for Amazon earlier in 2026, according to Amazon’s announcement. Over the course of the year, Arianespace placed 100 Amazon Leo satellites into orbit on three Ariane 6 missions in less than five months, and more than 25% of the constellation satellites deployed to date were launched from Europe, the launch provider stated.

On June 17, 2026, mission VA269/LE-03 placed 36 Amazon Leo satellites into orbit using new P160C boosters developed by ArianeGroup, which increase the Ariane 64’s payload capacity by up to two metric tons. Amazon characterized LE-03 as the largest Amazon Leo mission to date and the heaviest commercial payload ever launched on any rocket. Amazon said Amazon Leo and Arianespace engineering teams are working to further increase the number of satellites deployed per launch through vehicle upgrades as the constellation scales.

Ariane 6 is assembled and launched from French Guiana, with a supply chain running across 13 European countries and more than 600 companies, according to Amazon. The company stated that Amazon Leo is Arianespace’s largest single customer, and that Oxford Economics estimates the associated EU spending will contribute 2.8 billion euros to GDP and support an average of 3,270 jobs annually through 2029.

“We are delighted to reach this new stage in our partnership with Amazon Leo. These six additional launches demonstrate Amazon Leo’s confidence in the performance and reliability of Ariane 6, as well as in the expertise of our teams,” said David Cavaillolès, CEO of Arianespace. He added that long-term commitments from customers such as Amazon Leo strengthen the company’s business model and increase its capacity to serve all of its customers while ensuring Europe has the capabilities it needs to deploy its critical space infrastructure.

“Europe isn’t just a region we are going to serve. Europe’s launch infrastructure is part of the operational architecture of the Amazon Leo constellation,” said Chris Weber, vice president of Amazon Leo business and product. Weber said the expansion from 18 to 24 launches reflects confidence in Ariane 6 and continued investment in European launch capability.

Original 2022 Contract

Arianespace and Amazon announced the original contract on April 5, 2022, during the International Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, covering 18 Ariane 6 launches over a period of three years from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to deploy the broadband constellation Amazon then called Project Kuiper. Of the 18 launches, 16 were planned with an advanced version of the Ariane 64 using increased-power P120C+ solid boosters, developments funded and managed by the European Space Agency and implemented by Ariane 6 prime contractor ArianeGroup. At the signing, Stéphane Israël, then Arianespace’s chief executive, called the agreement the largest contract the company had ever signed.

Amazon stated that it first signed with Arianespace in 2022 as part of a record-breaking set of agreements to secure more than 80 launches. The company described Amazon Leo as the third-largest satellite constellation in operation, with 14 missions completed since full-scale deployment began in April 2025 and nearly 400 satellites placed into orbit. Amazon stated that it deploys the constellation across multiple launch vehicles, with more than 100 launches secured, and that it is preparing for an initial service rollout in 2026, with plans to expand globally as coverage and capacity increase. Amazon described the network as designed to deliver fast, reliable internet to customers and communities beyond the reach of existing networks.