Arianespace Successfully Launches 32 Amazon Leo Satellites with the First Ariane 64

Arianespace, delivering the most suitable space transportation solution for every customer, led by David Cavaillolès and the team, has successfully launched 32 Amazon Leo satellites with Ariane 64 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The satellites were delivered to a low Earth orbit at an altitude of approximately 465 km. The mission lasted 1 hour and 54 minutes, from lift-off to separation of all the satellites.

The mission, designated VA267 (LE-01 for Amazon Leo), initiated the first of 18 Ariane 6 launches booked to deploy the Amazon Leo constellation. It also marked the constellation’s first launch conducted by a European launcher.

David Cavaillolès, CEO of Arianespace, called the flight a major milestone for both Arianespace and Amazon Leo. The debut of Ariane 64 confirmed Europe’s heavy-lift capability for large constellation missions and marked the start of 18 launches supporting Amazon Leo’s deployment.

Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup, described the mission as a milestone for Ariane 6, marking the first flight of its four-booster version. The success highlighted the strength of ArianeGroup and European partners, confirmed two heavy-launcher variants, and set the stage for capacity upgrades and accelerated production in 2026.

For constellation-class missions, Ariane 6 features several adaptations to support increased payload mass.

Flight VA267 marked the first launch of the four-booster configuration and carried the heaviest payload ever placed into orbit by a European launcher. Approximately 20 metric tons were delivered to orbit, about double the capacity of the two-booster Ariane 62 variant, demonstrating full-power capability for large-scale constellation deployments.

The mission also debuted the long fairing configuration, housing 32 Amazon Leo satellites under a 20-meter fairing, bringing total launcher height to 62 meters.

VA267 represents a major milestone in the development of Ariane 6 under the oversight of the European Space Agency.