The Arianespace Ariane 6 (64) rocket has launched another 32 Amazon Leo satellites into orbit

The expansion of the Amazon Leo satellite constellation (previously Project Kuiper) continues, aiming to provide an alternative to SpaceX's Starlink, although it currently has far fewer satellites. Recently, the company acquired Globalstar, while the launch cadence of the units is increasing thanks to various launch service providers.

The latest mission, called VA268 or LE-02 (Leo Europe 02), is the second mission to use the European Arianespace Ariane 6 rocket in the four-side booster version, known as 64. The first occurred in February of this year, marking the debut of the 64 variant, following initial launches of this vehicle that had been conducted with the 62 variant (two side boosters P120C).

The launch took place at 10:57 AM today (Italian time) from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, managed by CNES. Inside the fairings were 32 Amazon Leo satellites destined for Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Reportedly, the payload was brought to an altitude of 465 km, as expected.

The VA268 mission was completed as planned, with a total duration of 1 hour and 54 minutes from takeoff to the separation of the last satellites. Currently, Amazon Leo has acquired 18 launches leveraging the Ariane 6 vehicle in the future but will also utilize solutions from ULA, Blue Origin, and SpaceX.

David Cavaillolès (CEO of Arianespace) stated, "This second launch for Amazon Leo marks another milestone in the growth of Ariane 6, demonstrating our ability to meet the increasing demands of the satellite constellation market and to provide reliable and competitive solutions to our customers. We thank Amazon for their trust, and we will be ready to ensure the success of this partnership."

This is the eleventh operational mission to launch Amazon Leo satellites (excluding test launches). Just a few days ago, the LA-06 mission (Leo Atlas 6) was launched with a ULA Atlas V 551 rocket, carrying 29 units from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The next mission, called LA-07 (Leo Atlas 7), is scheduled for May 22, continuing to utilize a ULA Atlas V 551 rocket. Currently, over 300 satellites are in orbit, and the time is nearing for customers to make their first connections.