Arianespace

Stories

Ariane 6 puts Galileo spares in orbit—Europe tightens its grip on its own “GPS”

As of May 2026: Operates Ariane 6 missions, including Galileo L14 (VA266)

VA266 launched successfully. After acquiring signal, ESA declared the mission successful: Galileo SAT 33 and SAT 34 are healthy, with solar arrays deployed. That shifts the story from launch drama to operations: early-orbit checks and in-orbit testing, then a slow drift toward Galileo's 23,222 km operational regime.

Updated May 15

Amazon’s Leo constellation is growing fast—just not fast enough for the FCC clock

Built World

As of May 2026: Preparing to begin Amazon Leo launches on Ariane 6 in 2026

At 3:28 a.m. ET on December 16, ULA lit an Atlas V and pushed 27 Amazon Leo broadband satellites into orbit. It's another clean launch in a campaign that's starting to look like a metronome: stack satellites, light rocket, repeat.

Updated May 15