SMRTR TechFeb 12, 2026Ars Technica

When Amazon badly needed a ride, Europe's Ariane 6 rocket delivered

SMRTR summary

Europe's Ariane 6 rocket successfully launched 32 Amazon Leo satellites weighing 20 metric tons, nearly maxing out the rocket's capacity as Amazon races to build its 3,200-satellite constellation to compete with SpaceX's dominant Starlink network. This marks Amazon's continued diversification strategy across multiple launch providers after initially avoiding SpaceX, though technical issues with other contracted rockets highlight ongoing deployment challenges.

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