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6h ago

Ariane 64 Set for Maiden Flight to Deploy 32 Amazon Leo Satellites

The four-booster debut underscores Europe’s push for greater lift to strengthen commercial viability.

A mechanic works on the Vulcain 2.1 engine that powers the Ariane 64 rocket, at the ArianeGroup's plant in Vernon, west of Paris, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Partial view of assembly line of the Ariane 64 rocket, in Les Mureaux, west of Paris, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A partial view of assembly line of the Ariane 64 rocket, in Les Mureaux, west of Paris, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A partial view of assembly line of the Ariane 64 rocket, in Les Mureaux, west of Paris, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Overview

  • Liftoff from Kourou is targeted for a 16:45–17:13 GMT window on Feb. 12 for mission VA267, named LE-01 by Amazon.
  • The flight is planned to last about 114–115 minutes with 32 satellites released one by one over roughly 25 minutes starting around T+1:29:00.
  • The launch marks Ariane 6’s first commercial customer mission and the first use of its 20-meter-long fairing.
  • Ariane 64 flies with four P120C boosters, roughly doubling lift capability to about 21.6 tonnes to low Earth orbit, with the boosters burning out just over two minutes after liftoff.
  • The mission is the first of 18 contracted Ariane 6 launches for Amazon Leo, highlighting a multi-nation ESA program built across 13 countries with about 600 subcontractors.