On February 12, 2026, with the first Ariane 64, the most powerful version of...
On February 12, 2026, with the first Ariane 64, the most powerful version of Ariane 6 equipped with four boosters, Arianespace placed into orbit 32 satellites for Amazon Leo.
Amazon Leo is Amazon's Low Earth Orbit satellite network, whose mission is to deliver fast, reliable internet to customers beyond the reach of existing networks.
The VA267 mission kicks-off the first of a series of 18 Ariane 6 launches contracted by Amazon Leo. Designated LE-01 (Leo Europe 01) by Amazon, it was the first launch for the constellation performed with a European launcher.
With this first launch in 4-boosters configuration, Ariane 6, Europe's heavy-lift launcher, demonstrates its full-power capability and its ability to meet the requirements of large-scale constellation deployments.
On February 12, 2026 at 1:45 p.m. local time (4:45 p.m. UTC, 5:45 p.m. CET), Arianespace 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, called VA267 (LE-01 for Amazon Leo), initiated the first of 18 Ariane 6 launches booked to support the deployment of the Amazon Leo constellation. It also marked the first launch for the constellation performed by a European launcher.
David Cavaillolès, Arianespace's CEO said “Today's successful flight marks a major milestone for Arianespace, for our customer Amazon Leo and for the whole European space sector. With the first flight of Ariane 64, Europe's heavy-lift launcher has demonstrated its ability to deliver the most demanding large-scale constellation missions. We are proud to support Amazon Leo with a reliable, high-performance European launch solution as we begin a series of 18 missions enabling the deployment of their constellation. We thank Amazon Leo for their confidence and are proud to support them as a trusted launch partner.”
Martin Sion, ArianeGroup's CEO announced “This new success is a major milestone for the development of Ariane 6 as it was the first flight in the four-booster version. This successful entry into service once again highlights the quality of the teams at ArianeGroup and its European partners. Now, Europe has two versions of Ariane 6 heavy launcher to meet all of its needs. Our teams are already working to improve the launcher's competitiveness through the development of evolutions that will increase its payload capacity. In 2026, we will therefore accelerate production and integrate major improvements so that Ariane 6 will be even better.”
For this new range of constellation-type missions, Ariane 6 incorporates various adaptations to accommodate the increased payload mass.
Flight VA267, the first launch of Ariane 6 in its four-booster configuration, carried the heaviest payload ever placed into orbit by the European launcher. During this mission, Ariane 6 delivered around 20 metric tons into orbit – about twice the payload capacity of the two-booster Ariane 62 variant. It demonstrates the full-power capability of Ariane 6 and its ability to meet the requirements of large-scale constellation deployments.
Ariane 6 also flew for the first time with its long fairing configuration. During this mission, the 32 Amazon Leo satellites were accommodated under a 20-meter-high fairing, giving the launcher a height of 62 meters.
This flight VA267 is a major milestone for the development of Ariane 6 under the European Space Agency's oversight.VA267 at a glance:
359th launch by Arianespace, 1st Arianespace launch in 2026
6th Ariane 6 launch and 1st launch of Ariane 64, its most powerful configuration, and 1st use of Ariane 6's long fairing
1st Arianespace launch for Amazon Leo, within a series of 18
1st Ariane 6 launch for a commercial customer
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