Amazon Orders Six More Rocket Launches from Arianespace
Amazon has placed an order for six additional rocket launches from Europe's Arianespace as part of its efforts to build out a satellite network that can compete with SpaceX's Starlink. This latest deal takes the total number of launches booked with Arianespace to 24, providing a significant commercial boost to the continent's space industry.
ArianeGroup, the owner of Arianespace, is a joint venture between Airbus and Safran. Long-term commitments from companies like Amazon are seen as crucial for Europe to deploy critical space infrastructure, according to Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès.
However, European governments' efforts to build up sovereign capabilities in space are being complicated by political divisions. The International Space Summit in Paris, where the deal was announced, was co-hosted by France and Germany, but German Chancellor Friedrich Merz did not attend, nor did Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The U.S. space companies SpaceX and Blue Origin reportedly withdrew from the summit after being discouraged from attending by the Trump administration due to concerns about the event's European policy agenda.