Improved boosters: Ariane 6 launches 36 Amazon satellites into space
The ESA has equipped the Ariane 6 with new boosters. This allowed the rocket to transport four more satellites into space than before.
Ariane 6 launch on June 17, 2026
(Image: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/ArianeGroup)
More fuel, more satellites: The European launch vehicle Ariane 6 has launched with improved boosters that have more power. The most powerful version of the Ariane 6 to date set a record during yesterday's launch.
The Ariane 6 lifted off on June 17 at 9:21 AM local time (2:21 PM our time) from launch pad Kourou in the French overseas department of French Guiana. It carried 36 satellites from Amazon's Leo satellite constellation into space, which were deployed about an hour later in the intended orbit, as the European Space Agency (ESA) announced.
Four more Amazon satellites than before
It was the most powerful version of the Ariane 6 to date. For this mission, it was equipped with new boosters that enabled a larger payload; the two previous missions for Amazon carried 32 satellites.
The P160C booster is a further development of the P120C used previously. The P160C is 14.5 meters high and contains 156 tons of fuel. This makes it 1 meter taller than the P120C, and it also contains 14 tons more fuel. The P160C is also used in the smaller European Vega-C rocket.
(Image: ESA)
It was the eighth launch of the Ariane 6 – the maiden flight took place in July 2024. The Ariane set a record: it was the largest payload ever launched into space by a European rocket. The record was previously held by the Ariane 5 with the transport of the ATV Albert Einstein in 2013.
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Leo is a constellation for satellite internet, with which Amazon wants to compete with SpaceX's Starlink. However, the buildup of the constellation is faltering, partly because at the end of May a New Glenn rocket from Blue Origin with 48 Leo satellites on board exploded.
(wpl)
