Arianespace successfully launched an Ariane 64 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre on the VA269 mission, marking the first flight of the Ariane 6 equipped with new P160C solid rocket boosters.The mission, carried out on June 17, 2026, placed 36 Amazon Leo satellites into low Earth orbit at an altitude of around 465 kilometers.This was the third flight of the Ariane 6 in its four-booster configuration and the seventh Ariane 6 mission overall.The main technological milestone was the introduction of the P160C boosters, which replace the previous P120C model.

Although both boosters have the same external dimensions, the P160C contains more solid propellant, increasing its total mass and improving performance by roughly 10% to 15%.

The upgraded booster carries 156 tons of HTPB solid fuel and provides a longer burn time, allowing the Ariane 64 to increase its payload capacity to around 21.6–22 tons in low Earth orbit.

This improvement enabled the rocket to deploy four more Amazon Leo satellites than previous Ariane 6 missions, making this the heaviest payload ever launched by the vehicle.

The P160C boosters are manufactured by Europropulsion, a joint venture between ArianeGroup and Avio, and will also be used on future Vega-C and Vega-E rockets.

The launch represents another step in the deployment of Amazon Leo, Amazon’s planned broadband satellite constellation, which aims to include nearly 3,000 satellites.The constellation currently has hundreds of satellites in orbit, with many launched by Ariane 6.

Arianespace is also evaluating ways to increase Ariane 6 launch frequency beyond the current target of nine missions per year, potentially reaching one or two launches per month.