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AST SpaceMobile, Amazon Leo choose launch partners

January 19, 2026

By Chris Forrester

AST SpaceMobile’s next BlueBird satellite (#7/FM2) launch will be aboard a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket. There had been speculation that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket would be used, but it seems that SpaceX will be used for a slightly later Q1 flight and launch in February. The New Glenn launch date has not been confirmed but a mid-February date is likely.

However, a law firm which specialises in Class Action shareholder legal claims, Levi & Korsinsky, has announced an investigation into potential federal securities-law violations connected to a previous delay in the BlueBird 6 launch schedule on an Indian rocket. Such notices often stir up market noise even if they don’t alter the core business strategy.

AST’s BlueBird 6, the company’s next-generation satellite, was scheduled to launch at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in India on December 15th 2025. The launch was reportedly delayed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) due to necessary, prolonged pre-launch integration and testing. AST has yet to release a detailed public statement pertaining to the delay.

Meanwhile, Arianespace’s Mission VA267 (or LE-01 according to Amazon) will launch a batch of Amazon Leo satellites on an Ariane 64 rocket on (or around) February 12th subject to the usual weather and technical considerations.

Arianespace said the mission will be a special ‘milestone’ for Amazon. It is certainly an important mission for Ariane given that the ‘64’ version is its most powerful rocket.

This flight will be the first of a series of eighteen Ariane 6 launches supporting the deployment of the constellation and is the first of its 2026 manifest. It is likely that 2026 will see two or three Amazon Leo flights. Arianespace plans 7-8 Ariane 6 flights this year. The Amazon contract was signed in 2022, and was considered an important commercial victory for Arianespace. The 32 Amazon Leo satellites will be accommodated under a 20-metre-long fairing and injected into low Earth orbit.

Amazon Leo’s mission is to deliver fast, reliable internet to customers beyond the reach of existing networks. Ariane 6 will lift off from Europe’s Spaceport at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana.

Arianespace CEO, David Cavaillolès, commented: “Our teams are working very closely with Amazon, adding that he was impressed by Amazon’s ability to scale satellite production. “On my side, I am confident that they’ll have the satellites, and Amazon can be confident that we’ll have the launchers.”

The mission will last a total of 1 hour and 54 minutes, from lift-off to separation of the final satellites.

Cavaillolès said the company’s manifest for 2026 is full, but with some openings in 2027, when Arianespace expects to reach a peak Ariane 6 launch rate of 9 to 10 missions per year. He rejected the perception that Ariane 6 will be fully booked for years.

“Sometimes in Europe I hear this idea that Ariane 6 will be fully booked for years and years,” he continued. “I think this is a message that is spread by some people that, for one reason or another, would love to use a non-European launcher.”

Among the major opportunities Arianespace is pursuing is IRIS², Europe’s sovereign broadband constellation. Cavaillolès said the company is reserving launch capacity beginning in 2029 to deploy the system, which he expects would require 10 to 15 launches over several years.

“From 2028 onward, we have a lot of room,” Cavaillolès added. “We can deploy a whole new constellation. We can stack 10 launchers to deploy a massive project. I think 2026 will be intense from a business development standpoint. We have launchers to be sold, we have a good product and I think we have very loyal clients.”

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