Amazon has contracted six additional launches on Europe’s Ariane 6 launcher, Arianespace announced during a Paris space summit on Wednesday, increasing the number of Ariane missions ordered by the company to 24 through 2031.
The newly agreed flights will be carried out on the Ariane 64 variant, the higher-capacity version of the rocket, and are scheduled to begin in 2029, according to the commercial arm of ArianeGroup.
French President Emmanuel Macron spotlighted the agreement at the opening of a two-day European space gathering. The summit was notable for the absence of several major U.S. space firms, including Blue Origin, the launch provider owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The absence came after, what sources described last week, was White House pressure related to the summit's Europe-led agenda.
Amazon is developing a large low-Earth orbit satellite constellation intended to deliver global broadband connectivity. The company aims to deploy thousands of satellites to compete with SpaceX's Starlink, which has attracted millions of customers. Until recently, Amazon had primarily used the Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance - the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture - to launch its satellites.
Wednesday's agreement illustrates an increasing dependence on Europe’s flagship launcher at a time when U.S. supply is reported to be constrained. Nevertheless, the scale of European launch activity remains much smaller than that of SpaceX.
Arianespace said it had already placed 100 Amazon Kuiper satellites into orbit on three Ariane 6 missions so far this year. Earlier on Wednesday, the company indicated it would announce further business that would bring the total number of extra launches to 10. Arianespace currently has orders for about 30 launches and, according to a spokesperson, has available launch slots in 2029 and 2030.
Amazon had faced a regulatory requirement to launch half of its initial 3,232 satellites by this summer. That requirement was waived in June after Amazon cited supply shortages as the reason for the delay.
Context and implications
The transaction signals both a commercial milestone for Ariane 6 and a logistical pivot for Amazon's satellite program. Using the Ariane 64 for additional missions beginning in 2029 expands Amazon's launch options amid constrained availability of U.S. rockets, while underscoring the competitive dynamics in the LEO broadband market.