Overview
- Arianespace confirmed a successful A64 flight from Kourou on February 12, placing 32 Amazon LEO satellites into a roughly 465 km orbit.
- The four‑booster configuration with an extended fairing doubles Ariane 6’s payload capability to about 21.6 tonnes compared with the earlier A62 flights.
- The commercial outing marked Ariane 6’s first mission for a private client after initial institutional launches for European customers.
- Mission VA267 lasted 1 hour 54 minutes, with a dispenser releasing the satellites in tightly managed sequences over about 25 minutes to avoid collisions.
- The launch begins a contracted series of 18 Amazon missions as the company builds a ~3,200‑satellite network, following earlier deployments on ULA and SpaceX, with Amazon projecting €2.8 billion in EU GDP impact and caution from experts about reliance on large private clients.