On 30 February 2026, four P120C boosters ignited and lifted Ariane 6 to the skies, for the second time. Flight VA268 took 32 satellites for Amazon’s Leo constellation to low-Earth orbit. Liftoff occurred at 05:57 local time (09:57 BST/10:57 CET) from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, with separation of the last satellites after 114 minutes.
The upper stage was then fired a third time to ensure a safe deorbit and allowing Ariane 6 to adhere to the zero debris approach.
For the Ariane 6 programme, the European Space Agency works with an industrial network across 13 European countries, led by prime contractor and design authority ArianeGroup, with Arianespace as the launch service provider. In addition to development activities, ESA supports and monitors Ariane 6 exploitation to ensure a reliable and available launch system for its Member States, including risk oversight, resolution of anomalies and continuous performance improvement through dedicated support programmes.