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Great news for Bremen: Arianespace signs historic contract with Amazon
Leading European space launcher Arianespace and the US company Amazon have signed an unprecedented deal for a total of 18 launches of the Ariane 6 rocket for Amazon’s Project Kuiper.
The Ariane 6, which was largely built in Bremen, and its successor 64 will launch 18 satellites from the European spaceport in French Guiana in the period of next three years. Mayor of Bremen Andreas Bovenschulte stated on social media that the agreement was ‘’great news for the Bremen site’’.
CEO of Arianespace Stéphane Israël declared: “This contract, the largest we’ve ever signed, is a great moment in Arianespace’s history. We are honored to be given a significant role to play in the deployment of Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which aims to connect tens of millions of people to the internet.’’
Arianespace is well-known for its expertise in the deployment of institutional and commercial satellite constellations. The versatility, high capability, and expected reliability of the Ariane 6 were critical in securing this agreement with Amazon for Project Kuiper. Ariane 6 was designed to be scalable and capable of integrating new technologies on a regular basis, Arianespace stated in a press release.
Amazon’s Project Kuiper aims to deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world at low cost. This large-scale project could soon provide connectivity to homes, schools, hospitals, businesses, governments, and institutions that currently lack it.
‘’That Amazon has chosen the Ariane 6 to do the job is a matter of tremendous pride for us and a great vote of confidence for our new launch vehicle. This day marks a decisive success for the Ariane 6 Program and all its value chain in Europe,” Israël further stated. (Photo credit: ESA | D Ducros)
