Formerly known as Project Kuiper, the Leo program aims to deliver fast, reliable internet to remote and underserved communities worldwide. Full-scale deployment began in April 2025, and in just its first year of operations the company has completed 11 missions, placing it among the largest satellite constellations currently in orbit.
The latest milestone was achieved after Arianespace successfully launched 32 satellites aboard an Ariane 6 rocket in its four-booster Ariane 64 configuration. The mission, dubbed LE-02 (Leo Europe 2), pushed the total number of deployed satellites beyond the 300 mark.
The launch follows closely on the heels of another mission earlier in the week using the Atlas V, marking two launches in a single week across different continents and launch systems, an indication of the program’s accelerating pace.
David Cavaillolès, CEO of Arianespace, celebrated the success of the latest launch, saying, “This second launch for Amazon Leo marks another milestone in Ariane 6’s ramp-up, demonstrating our ability to meet the growing needs of the constellation market and to deliver reliable, competitive solutions to our customers. We thank Amazon for its trust and remain fully mobilised to ensure the success of this partnership.”
The Ariane 64 vehicle delivered the satellites to an initial orbit at around 465 kilometres above Earth. Once deployed, control was handed over to Amazon’s mission operations team in Redmond, Washington, where engineers are carrying out system checks before raising the satellites to their operational altitude of between 590 and 630 kilometres.
Amazon has already secured more than 100 launches as part of its long-term deployment strategy and is expected to steadily increase its launch cadence.
Looking ahead, Arianespace is preparing its next Leo mission, LE-03 (Leo Europe 3), which will use an upgraded version of the Ariane 64 rocket featuring enhanced P160C boosters.
The improved configuration is expected to carry a larger payload of satellites per launch, further accelerating the rollout of Amazon’s growing constellation.
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