The European Ariane 6 rocket launched its second batch of 32 satellites for Amazon’s Leo network on Thursday.
The rocket lifted off from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana at 5:57 a.m. local time (10:57 a.m. Belgian time), just before the end of its scheduled launch window, which ran from 5:08 a.m. to 5:57 a.m.
The satellites separated from the rocket 114 minutes after launch.
Amazon Leo, led by US billionaire Jeff Bezos, aims to compete with Starlink, the satellite network operated by Elon Musk.
Currently, Amazon Leo has only 239 satellites orbiting Earth, compared to over 10,000 satellites operated by Starlink.
Amazon plans to expand its network to 7,700 satellites to provide fast Internet across large parts of the globe without relying on traditional cables or mobile networks.
This was the second launch carried out by Arianespace for Amazon Leo.
It marked just the sixth successful flight of the Ariane 6 rocket, which was developed less than two years ago.
The rocket, built by the ArianeGroup—a joint venture between Airbus and Safran—includes several components manufactured in Belgium.
Arianespace is contracted to perform a total of 18 launches for Amazon Leo, making the satellite Internet provider its most important commercial customer.
For Europe, this partnership is vital to enhance the competitiveness of Ariane 6, which faces tough competition from US-based SpaceX, Musk’s space company, often chosen by other clients.
