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# Amazon Leo Expands Arianespace Deal With Six More Launches
- URL: https://broadbandbreakfast.com/amazon-leo-expands-arianespace-deal-with-six-more-launches/
- Published: 2026-09-14T18:10:55.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T21:47:29.000Z
- Description: Amazon is hoping to catch up to internet satellite leader SpaceX
- Author: Kate Keith
- Tags: Satellite, #with-siderail, Amazon Leo, Amazon, SpaceX, Arianespace, Europe, French Guiana, Oxford Economics, BEAD

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2026 – Amazon Leo is expanding its launch partnership with European rocket company Arianespace, adding six Ariane 6 missions as the satellite broadband provider accelerates deployment of its low-Earth orbit constellation.

The new agreement brings[ Amazon Leo’s total contracted Arianespace launches from 18 to 24](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/amazon-leo/amazon-leo-arianespace-new-launches?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com), extending what Arianespace describes as the largest commercial contract in its history. Amazon first signed with Arianespace in 2022 as part of a broader effort to secure more than 80 launches for its planned satellite network.

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Arianespace has launched 100 Amazon Leo satellites across three missions in less than five months. [Its most recent mission deployed 36 satellites using upgraded P160C solid rocket boosters developed by ArianeGroup](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/latest-amazon-leo-launch-a-success/), making it Amazon Leo’s largest launch to date and the heaviest commercial payload ever launched on an Ariane rocket. The upgraded boosters can increase Ariane 6’s payload capacity by as much as two metric tons.

The expanded agreement comes as Amazon Leo works to scale a constellation designed to provide broadband service to customers beyond the reach of traditional terrestrial networks. Amazon says it has completed 14 missions since full-scale deployment began in April 2025 and has nearly 400 satellites in orbit. The company has secured more than 100 launches across multiple launch providers and is preparing for an initial service rollout this year.

The company has [faced pressure to accelerate deployment after launch delays](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/amazon-leo-launches-36-more-satellites/) and satellite reengineering pushed its original schedule behind competitors such as SpaceX’s Starlink. The Federal Communications Commission in [June waived Amazon’s requirement to have half](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/fcc-grants-amazon-leo-deadline-waiver/) of its originally authorized 3,232 satellites in orbit by July 30, while keeping its July 2029 deadline for deployment of the full constellation.

The Arianespace agreement also highlights the economic role of Amazon Leo’s launch program in Europe. Ariane 6 is assembled and launched from French Guiana, while its supply chain spans 13 European countries and more than 600 companies. Amazon said Oxford Economics estimates the related European spending will contribute roughly $3.2 billion to gross domestic product and support an average of 3,270 jobs annually through 2029.

Amazon Leo is also [pursuing broadband deployments through the federal BEAD program](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/amazon-leo-to-launch-service-later-this-year-is-that-good-news-for-the-bead-program/). Arkansas became the first state to execute a BEAD agreement with Amazon Leo in June, with the company set to serve more than 1,700 locations in the state. Across BEAD, Amazon and SpaceX are expected to serve nearly 900,000 locations.