The satellite constellation

Amazon Leo (rival of Starlink) is expanding. Unlike SpaceX, Amazon cannot rely on its own launch vehicles and thus depends on various partner companies that can launch its satellites for high-speed and low-latency internet connectivity into orbit. Among these are SpaceX's Falcon 9, ULA's Atlas V and Vulcan Centaur, Blue Origin's New Glenn, and Arianespace's Ariane 6.

Vulcan Centaur is currently suspended from launches due to a problem with the booster nozzle, although the company is working to resolve it and could launch a rocket of this type with Amazon Leo satellites in the near future. Blue Origin faced significant damage following the explosion of the first stage of New Glenn at pad LC-36A, and optimistically could return to launching by the end of the year (the mission in preparation was dedicated to Amazon Leo satellites).

Among the new launch vehicles (excluding Falcon 9 and Atlas V, which have a long history of launches and the latter is being phased out), only Arianespace's Ariane 6 remains, which is proving to be reliable while increasing the launch cadence. Today was the third mission (also called VA269) to carry Amazon Leo satellites into orbit, following LE-02, which was completed at the end of April. This is not the only interesting news.

The Ariane 6 rocket and the Amazon Leo LE-03 mission

The launch was originally scheduled for 13:53 today (Italian time), from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Due to a technical issue at the launch site, both CNES and the French company announced a rescheduling of the launch time to 14:21.

This was the first Ariane 6 rocket with four side boosters of the P160C type, which will join and then replace the P120C type used so far. These solid-fueled side boosters, which have a combined mass of 156 tons, were manufactured by the Italian company Avio, and are about one meter taller than the P120C (reaching 14.5 meters) and provide a 10%-15% higher thrust. This means carrying a heavier payload into orbit.

Tests have been conducted in recent months, and earlier this year a possible launch in the Ariane 64+ or Ariane 64 Block 2 configuration was announced for this summer. Unlike missions LE-01 and LE-02, which carried 32 Amazon Leo satellites on board, this time there were as many as 36 satellites, representing the largest payload in terms of satellite units for this constellation compared to other operational and previously launched vehicles.

Ariane 64+ (Ariane 64 Block 2) is currently considered the European vehicle with the highest thrust ever, although slightly more powerful versions may arrive in the future, reducing the internal component mass of the rocket, benefiting either thrust or payload mass. Looking at the overall statistics, this is Arianespace's 361st launch, the company's third launch in 2026, the third launch of an Ariane 64 version (with four side boosters), the first launch of the Ariane 64+ variant, and this is the heaviest payload ever launched by an Arianespace vehicle.