SpaceX

Amazon Satellites to Get Boost from Launch of Ariane 64, Europe's Most Powerful Rocket

EU's space program will launch the powerful version of the Ariane 6, with 32 Amazon Leo satellites for its broadband constellation.

Associated Press

Associated Press

— 4 min read
Amazon Satellites to Get Boost from Launch of Ariane 64, Europe's Most Powerful Rocket
Photo of the assembly line of the Ariane 64 rocket, in Les Mureaux on Feb. 4, 2026, by Thibault Camus/AP

VERNON, France, Feb. 12, 2026 (AP) — In a tightly controlled manufacturing hangar west of Paris, workers put the finishing touches on an enormous silver-colored engine. On Thursday, a similar machine will help propel the most powerful version of Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket yet, flying for the first time with four boosters.

The Ariane 64 rocket — named after its four boosters — is scheduled to make its maiden launch from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, aiming to deploy 32 satellites for Amazon Leo’s broadband constellation.

The flagship of Europe’s rocket industry is racing in a highly competitive environment against heavy weight players across the world, including the global market leader, Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Post tagged in
SpaceX Satellite EU Ariane 64 Elon Musk Hervé Gilibert Caroline Arnoux Hermann Ludwig Moeller ESPI Arnaud Demay

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