Amazon is gearing up for its most substantial satellite deployment to date as part of the Amazon Leo initiative. The LE-03 mission is scheduled for liftoff on June 17th from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana, with an ambitious plan to place 36 satellites into orbit simultaneously.
The launch will be conducted by the Ariane 6 rocket, which will feature the new P160C solid rocket boosters for the first time. These boosters are instrumental in augmenting the rocket’s payload capacity by two tons, thereby enabling more satellites to be carried per mission.
This upcoming launch marks the third flight for Ariane 6 in support of Amazon’s satellite program. Previously, the rocket successfully orbited batches of 32 spacecraft.
The 36 satellites represent the largest contingent of Amazon Leo spacecraft ever launched in a single operation. Prior to this, Amazon had launched between 24 and 29 satellites per mission using Falcon 9 and Atlas V rockets.
However, this record might be short-lived. Amazon anticipates that Blue Origin’s new heavy-lift rocket, New Glenn, will be capable of delivering up to 48 project satellites per launch. Nevertheless, following a recent significant failure, the New Glenn launch is not expected before late 2026.
Amazon Leo is an emerging global broadband internet satellite constellation being developed by Amazon, intended to rival SpaceX’s Starlink.
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