On Thursday, the French president celebrated Europe’s most powerful rocket launch after it successfully deployed 32 Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) Leo satellites into orbit, as Jeff Bezos steps up his challenge to SpaceX’s Starlink.
Ariane 6 Launches 32 Amazon Satellites
Emmanuel Macron hailed the successful liftoff of Europe’s upgraded Ariane 6, writing on X, “Amazon, your package has been delivered.”
The rocket, launched by the European Space Agency from French Guiana around 1:45 p.m. local time, carried 32 satellites for Amazon’s low-Earth orbit internet constellation.
The mission marked the debut of the Ariane 64 configuration, powered by four boosters and capable of carrying more than 20 tons into low-Earth orbit — roughly double the capacity of its smaller Ariane 62 counterpart.
Macron called the mission “a French feat” and “a European success,” adding, “Amazon chose Europe for this major launch.”
Amazon Vs. SpaceX In Satellite Internet Race
The launch is the first of 18 booked on Ariane 6 to support Amazon’s planned network of more than 3,200 satellites, designed to compete with Elon Musk-led venture.
Ariane 6 is built by ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus (OTC:EADSY) and Safran (OTC:SAFRY) and is central to Europe’s push for independent access to space.
After a technical issue during its 2024 debut, the rocket has since completed four successful missions in 2025, bolstering confidence in its reliability.
Amazon’s $10 Billion LEO Satellite Push
Unveiled in 2019, Amazon LEO, formerly Project Kuiper, aims to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband to consumers, businesses, and governments through square-shaped user terminals.
The company has pledged at least $10 billion toward the initiative.
Although Amazon has secured more than 100 launch agreements — including additional missions with SpaceX, Blue Origin and Arianespace — it noted that several next-generation rockets have faced delays in achieving full operational readiness.
Last month, Amazon requested that the FCC extend the deadline to July 2028 or grant a waiver on the requirement to deploy roughly half of its planned 3,236-satellite constellation by 2026.
Price Action: Amazon dipped 2.25% on Thursday and slipped an additional 0.63% in after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro.
The stock exhibits weak trends across short, medium and long-term timeframes and scores low in Momentum on Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Frederic Legrand – COMEO on Shutterstock.com
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