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Ariane 6 Set for First Four-Booster Launch With 32 Amazon Satellites

The configuration doubles Ariane 6’s low‑Earth‑orbit capacity to 21.6 tonnes.

Overview

  • The VA267 mission is scheduled to lift off from Kourou on Thursday within a 17:45–18:13 CET window, with an Arianespace livestream planned.
  • Adding four solid rocket boosters raises the launcher’s payload capability from 10.3 tonnes to 21.6 tonnes to low Earth orbit.
  • The flight will deploy 32 satellites for Amazon’s broadband constellation and is the first of 18 Ariane 6 launches the company has booked.
  • This marks the inaugural real‑flight validation of the Ariane 64 variant after multiple successful missions of the two‑booster version.
  • Thirteen ESA member states contribute to the Ariane 6 program with more than 600 subcontractors, with upper stages assembled in Bremen and the main stage in Les Mureaux.