Launch of Most Powerful Ariane 6 to Date Set for 17 June

Credit: Arianespace / CNES / ESA

Arianespace has announced that the first Ariane 64 rocket equipped with its upgraded P160C solid-fuel boosters will be launched on 17 June. The rocket will carry 36 satellites to low Earth orbit for Amazon.

Since its introduction in July 2024, a total of seven Ariane 6 flights have been launched from the Guiana Space Centre’s ELA-4 launch site. The first five used the rocket’s two-booster configuration, while the two most recent flights used the more powerful four-booster configuration. All seven, however, used the P120C, the current generation of the rocket’s solid-fuel strap-on booster.

In December 2025, the European Space Agency announced that it had fully qualified the upgraded P160C booster, which includes an additional 14 tonnes of solid propellant, bringing its total propellant load to approximately 160 tonnes. In late April 2026, Arianespace confirmed that the first Ariane 6 flight to include the upgraded boosters would be VA269, the company’s third launch for Amazon.

Powered by four P120C boosters, the previous two Ariane 64 rockets each carried 32 Amazon satellites to orbit. With the upgraded P160C boosters, the rocket will now carry 36 of the same satellites, an increase of around 12%.

“Every additional satellite we can safely deploy on a single launch accelerates the pace at which we scale our constellation and bring reliable connectivity to customers around the world,” said Melissa Wuerl, director of Launch Systems, Amazon Leo. “The upgraded P160C boosters give us the performance margin to do that confidently.”

The launch of the VA269 mission is scheduled for liftoff between 12:53 and 14:22 CET on 17 June. The last of the 36 satellites is expected to be deployed into orbit approximately one hour and 50 minutes into the flight. The mission will mark Arianespace’s third completed launch for Amazon in less than five months.

Following the launch of the 36 satellites, the next Ariane 6 rocket launch is expected to occur on 28 August with the rocket in its two-booster configuration. While the CNES “mark your calendars” announcement did not mention the expected passenger for the flight, it is likely to be the Meteosat-14 weather satellite for the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).

Quelle: European Spaceflight

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Date is set for bigger booster, more powerful Ariane 6

In-depth

View of Ariane 6 for flight VA269 with P160C based boosters on the launch pad

The next Ariane 6 rocket launch is set for liftoff on 17 June 2026 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana with a launch window of 08:53–09:22 local time (12:53–13:22 BST, 13:53–14:22 CEST) and it will be even more powerful than before due to the rocket being equipped with boosters based on the upgraded P160C motor.

Ariane 6 is the latest generation of Europe’s largest and most powerful rocket. It’s next flight, VA269, will fly with four boosters based on the P160C motor, offering 14 tonnes more solid propellant per booster, compared to the P120C motors used so far. The Ariane 6 will launch 36 satellites for Amazon Leo the third flight for the communications constellation.

Evolution of power

Europe's largest solid-propellant rocket motors

Ariane 6 is a versatile rocket that can be configured and adapted to the needs of each mission it launches, and it was designed from the start for continuous upgrades. The heavy-lift rocket debuted in 2024 with two boosters based on the P120C motor. Its sixth launch in February 2026 Ariane 6 flew for the first time with four boosters.

Now, the launch this month will see the debut of four new boosters based on the P160C rocket motor with more propellant. Although this will be the most powerful Ariane 6 so far, more upgrades are in preparation so more is still to come.

Most powerful getting more powerful

The P120C is already the most powerful solid-propellant rocket motor that is made in one piece, and the P160C adds over 9% more propellant. Despite being one meter taller, the additional height does not affect the connection to Ariane 6’s central core.

P160C was developed by Europropulsion under contract from ArianeGroup and Avio. Its structure is made in Italy, the rocket engine nozzle in France and the igniter in Norway. The boosters are loaded with fuel and finalised in French Guiana.

Made in Europe

The development of Ariane 6 is another stellar example of European cooperation. The European Space Agency works with an industrial network in 13 European countries, led by prime contractor and design authority ArianeGroup. French space agency CNES manages the range operations at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Arianespace is the launch service provider for this flight for Amazon.

Quelle: ESA

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Update: 8.06.2026

ARIANESPACE TO LAUNCH 36 AMAZON LEO SATELLITES WITH AN ARIANE 64 EQUIPPED WITH ADVANCED BOOSTERS ON JUNE 17, 2026

On June 17, 2026, Arianespace will place into orbit 36 satellites for Amazon Leo with the Ariane 64 equipped with four P160C advanced solid-propellant boosters for the very first time.

Amazon Leo is Amazon's low Earth orbit satellite network, whose mission is to deliver fast, reliable internet to customers beyond the reach of existing networks.

Designated VA269 by Arianespace and LE-03 (Leo Europe 03) by Amazon, it will be the third launch for the constellation performed with the European heavy-lift launcher in a row.

With 36 satellites on board – 4 more than on the previous previous missions VA267 LE-01 and VA268 LE-02, this launch will demonstrate the launcher's versatility and enhanced performance, enabling the deployment of the heaviest payload ever launched by an Ariane launcher.

On June 17, 2026 local time, Arianespace will launch 36 Amazon Leo satellites aboard Ariane 6 in its Ariane 64 configuration from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, within the following launch window:

07:53 a.m – 08:22 a.m (Washington, D.C.)

08:53 a.m – 09:22 a.m (Kourou)

11:53 a.m– 12:22 p.m (UTC)

01:53 p.m – 02:22 p.m (Paris)

The mission, called VA269 and LE-03 for Amazon Leo, will mark the third Ariane 6 launch dedicated to the deployment of the Amazon Leo constellation, within a series of 18, and is the eighth Ariane 6 launch overall and the third of the year.

Beyond deploying new Amazon Leo satellites, the VA269 mission marks a new milestone in Ariane 6's ramp-up. Less than two years after its inaugural flight, Europe's launcher is already undergoing its first major upgrade with the introduction of the P160C boosters. This improvement increases the launcher's performance while maintaining its overall architecture, showcasing Ariane 6's ability to evolve rapidly to meet the growing demands of both institutional and commercial markets.

With 36 satellites on board— 4 more than on the two previous Amazon Leo missions—Ariane 6 will concretely demonstrate this performance gain by carrying the heaviest payload ever launched by an Ariane launcher.

The P160C boosters are among the world's largest carbon-fiber one-piece solid-propellant rocket motors. They are designed to replace the P120C, the version of the booster that has flown on the first flights of Ariane 6. The significant evolution happens inside the boosters, whose length and width remain unchanged. Indeed, inside the booster, the new P160C engines are one meter longer than the P120C and can carry up to 156 tonnes of propellant each, increasing the performance of 10% compared to the P120C. This upgrade raises Ariane 64's payload capacity to approximately 22 tonnes in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

On this VA269 LE-03 mission, the P160C will enable Ariane 64 to carry 36 Amazon Leo satellites, so 4 more than on the first two Amazon Leo missions with Ariane 64. Housed under the launcher' 20-meter-long fairing, the satellites will be deployed into low Earth orbit following a mission lasting a total of 1 hour and 51 minutes from lift-off to the separation of the last satellites.

The 36 Amazon Leo satellites arrived in Kourou on April 14 and 16 and are now being prepared at the Guiana Space Center. Meanwhile, Ariane 6's central core and its four P160C boosters are already assembled on the launch pad for the VA269 flight.

Amazon Leo is Amazon's low Earth orbit satellite network, whose mission is to deliver fast, reliable internet to customers beyond the reach of existing networks. Through this mission, Arianespace continues to contribute to the expansion of connectivity services worldwide.

VA269 is part of a series of 18 launches entrusted to Arianespace for the deployment of Amazon's constellation, underscoring the long-term partnership between the two companies.

VA269 launch at a glance:

361st launch by Arianespace, 3rd Arianespace launch in 2026
8th Ariane 6 launch and 3rd launch of Ariane 64
1st launch of Ariane 64 equipped with P160C boosters, its most powerful configuration
3rd Arianespace mission for Amazon Leo, within a series of 18
36 Amazon Leo satellites, the heaviest payload ever launched by an Ariane launcher
At the end of the mission: 100 satellites in orbit launched by Arianespace for Amazon Leo in 5 months

Quelle: arianespace

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Update: 17.06.2026

Start von Ariane-6 VA269 mit Amazon’s Leo 03 constellation mission