Overview
- The first Ariane 64 lifted off from Kourou at 16:45 GMT, marking the sixth Ariane 6 mission overall and the variant’s inaugural use of four strap-on boosters.
- All 32 Amazon Leo satellites separated successfully, with the final deployment occurring 114 minutes after liftoff, which AFP reports is the largest satellite count ever carried by an Ariane rocket.
- This mission flew with the long 20‑metre fairing, making the vehicle 62 metres tall and demonstrating constellation‑deployment operations with the upper stage’s auxiliary propulsion.
- Four P120C solid boosters powered the ascent, taking Ariane 6’s low‑Earth‑orbit capacity to about 21.6 tonnes versus roughly 10.3 tonnes for the two‑booster configuration.
- ESA leaders said the demonstration sustains Europe’s autonomous launch capability, and the upper stage completed a third burn to deorbit, with planned upgrades to P160C boosters signaled for future performance gains.