Key facts
- Amazon's Project Kuiper has ordered six additional launches on Europe's Ariane 6 rocket.
- The total number of Ariane 6 launches commissioned by Amazon will reach 24 by 2031.
- The new flights are scheduled to commence in 2029 using the Ariane 64 variant.
- The agreement was announced at a space summit in Paris.
- Amazon's Kuiper project aims to offer global broadband internet services via satellites.
Amazon's Project Kuiper has ordered six additional launches on Europe's Ariane 6 rocket, operator Arianespace announced. These new flights, set to begin in 2029 on the high-capacity Ariane 64 version, bring Amazon's total commitment to 24 launches by 2031. The announcement was made at a space summit in Paris, where French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated the deal. The agreement comes amid a shortage in U.S. launch capacity, leading Amazon to rely more on Europe's prime launcher. Amazon has largely used United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket for its satellite deployments, highlighting current supply chain challenges in the U.S. space sector, though SpaceX remains dominant globally. Amazon's Kuiper initiative aims to establish a global broadband internet network using thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites, directly competing with SpaceX's Starlink. Arianespace has already launched 100 Amazon Leo satellites this year across three Ariane 6 missions. The company had faced a regulatory deadline to launch half of its initial 3,232 satellites by summer, which was waived in June due to supply constraints.