Enabling & Support
02/02/2026
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Artist’s view of Ariane 6 liftoff with four boosters over French Guiana
Set for 12 February between 16:45–17:13 GMT (17:45–18:13 CET, 13:45–14:13 local time), Europe’s most powerful rocket is preparing for liftoff – now with even more power. Flight VA267 will see Ariane 6 take 32 satellites for Amazon’s Leo constellation to low-Earth orbit. This will be the sixth flight for Ariane 6, and the first with four boosters to propel the rocket off the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Watch the launch live starting half an hour before liftoff on ESA web TV. The flight will take 114 minutes from liftoff to separation of the last satellites.
Most powerful version so far
Technicians prepare Ariane 6 for flight VA267
Ariane 6 is a three-stage launch vehicle with the boosters, main stage and then upper stage expending their propellant to reach orbit. The number of boosters and length of the tip of the rocket, called the fairing, can be adapted per mission.
Ariane 6 in its four-booster configuration doubles the rocket’s performance compared to the two-booster version that has flown five times including the inaugural flight in 2024. The P120C boosters used by Ariane 6 are one of the most powerful one-piece motors in production in the world. Flying with four boosters takes Ariane 6 to a whole new class of rockets. With the extra thrust from two more boosters Ariane 6 can take around 21.6 tonnes to low Earth orbit, more than double the 10.3 tonnes it could bring to orbit with just two boosters. The flight will demonstrate and prove the performance of four boosters working together with the main stage in real flight.
Standing tall
For this flight, Ariane 6 will be using the long fairing that houses the 32 Leo satellites inside and protects them from the elements until they reach space. The fairing is 20 m tall and 5.4 m diameter and could carry four giraffes standing on each other’s shoulders.
As this is the first flight with a long fairing, it makes this launch the tallest Ariane 6 so far. Once assembled on the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana it will be 62 m high, roughly the same as a 20-storey building.
This flight will demonstrate Ariane 6 in its most powerful version. For the development of Ariane 6, the European Space Agency works with an industrial network in 13 European countries, led by prime contractor and design authority ArianeGroup. French space agency CNES manages the range operations at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Arianespace is the launch service provider.
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