Europe's Ariane wins Amazon boost at space gathering

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September 9, 2026 12:03 PM EDT

A giant model of Ariane Group's Ariane 6 rocket is displayed during the International Summit on Space at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, September 9, 2026. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

By Tim Hepher and ‌Joey Roulette

PARIS, Sept ​9 (Reuters) - ​Amazon Leo has ordered six additional launches on Europe's Ariane 6 launcher, operator Arianespace said on Wednesday, in a ‌boost to Europe's flagship rocket programme.

The announcement at a Paris ⁠space gathering brings the number of Ariane launches commissioned by Amazon to 24 by ‌2031.

The new flights will begin ‌on the high-capacity Ariane 64 version in 2029, the commercial arm of ArianeGroup said.

French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the deal at the ​opening of a two-day space summit shunned by top U.S. space firms including Blue Origin, the launch provider owned by Amazon ⁠founder Jeff Bezos, following what sources last week described as White House pressure over the summit's ​Europe-led agenda.

Amazon aims to provide broadband internet globally with its low-Earth orbit network of thousands of planned satellites, ​challenging SpaceX's Starlink, which has amassed millions ‌of customers worldwide.

Amazon has mostly relied on the Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance, Boeing and Lockheed ⁠Martin's joint rocket venture, to get its satellites to space.

Wednesday's deal shows a deepening reliance on Europe's prime launcher as U.S. supply faces a shortage, ⁠though European launch activity remains dwarfed by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Arianespace has placed 100 Amazon ​Leo satellites into orbit on three Ariane 6 missions so far this year.

Amazon previously faced a regulatory requirement to launch half of its initial 3,232 satellites by ‌this summer, but that was waived in June after the company cited a shortage in supply.

Arianespace said ‌earlier on Wednesday it would announce other new business bringing the number ⁠of extra launches to 10. ‌Currently it has orders ​for about 30 launches, with slots available in 2029 and 2030, a spokesperson said.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher. Editing by ‌Mark Potter)


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