Ariane 64's Maiden Launch: Europe's Rocket Debuts with Amazon Satellites
Europe's Ariane 6 rocket is poised for a powerful debut on Thursday, featuring a new equipment configuration as it flies with four boosters to carry Amazon's internet satellites. The launch, scheduled from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, marks a significant milestone for the European rocket industry, which is competing in a highly competitive global market against heavyweight players like Elon Musk's market leader SpaceX.
Key Numbers Behind the Ariane 6 Rocket's Technology
4 Boosters: For the first time, the rocket is equipped with four boosters around its core stage, earning it the name Ariane 64. These boosters provide extra thrust, enabling the rocket to carry approximately 21.6 metric tons (23.8 tons) into low Earth orbit—more than double the capacity with just two boosters. The boosters consume 142,000 kilograms (313,056 pounds) of solid propellant in just over two minutes before burning out.
5 Successful Flights: Ariane 6 has completed five flights using two boosters, all successful, including its maiden launch in July 2024. Thursday's launch will be the sixth and the first with a commercial customer. Last year, the European rocket focused on institutional missions, deploying a French military reconnaissance satellite, a French weather satellite, and European Union-sponsored Earth observation radar and navigation satellites into orbit.
13 Nations Backing: The Ariane 6 programme is supported by 13 nations, all members of the European Space Agency. Building the rocket requires the expertise and coordination of about 600 subcontractors led by ArianeGroup. The core stage is assembled in Les Mureaux, west of Paris, while the upper stage is built in a factory in Bremen, Germany. Each rocket comprises roughly 300,000 pieces, with components crossing the Atlantic to French Guiana on a cargo ship equipped with sails to reduce emissions and save fuel. Ariane 64 stands 62 meters (203 feet) high with a core stage 5.4 meters (17.7 feet) wide.
32 Amazon Satellites: Thursday's mission aims to place 32 Amazon Leo satellites into orbit. Amazon launched its first internet satellites in 2025 as the company seeks to become a key player in the mega-constellation market, currently dominated by SpaceX's thousands of Starlink satellites. Founded by Jeff Bezos, who also runs his own rocket company, Blue Origin, Amazon plans to deploy over 3,200 satellites to provide fast, affordable broadband service globally.
1 Hour and 54 Minutes Mission Duration: The mission is expected to last 1 hour and 54 minutes, from liftoff to the separation of all satellites. In addition to its boosters, Ariane 6 is powered by one main engine at the base of its core stage, using supercooled hydrogen and oxygen as fuel. A second engine ignites once the upper stage escapes Earth's gravity, placing the satellites into their precise orbits, and it can re-ignite up to four times during flight.
