Among the large new rockets Amazon was counting on, only Europe has delivered

Amazon has hundreds of flight-ready satellites waiting in Florida to join its low-Earth orbit internet constellation, according to Steve Metayer, vice president of Amazon Leo Production Operations, speaking on Tuesday. Metayer stated that these satellites are manufactured and currently being produced at a rate of several per day, awaiting launch. The company's next launch is scheduled for Wednesday at 7:53 am ET (11:53 UTC), utilizing an Ariane 64 rocket to deploy three dozen Amazon Leo satellites from a spaceport in French Guiana. This launch is critical as Amazon's plans for its Kuiper constellation have faced delays with its own rocket development, leading to reliance on external launch providers like Europe's Ariane 6. The Ariane 6 rocket, developed by the European Space Agency and its industrial partners, is designed to be a more cost-effective and flexible launch vehicle. Amazon has secured multiple launch contracts with Arianespace, the commercial arm of the European space program, to deploy its Kuiper satellites. The Kuiper constellation aims to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet services globally. The delay in Amazon's own rocket development, Project Kuiper, has put pressure on the company to secure sufficient launch capacity through third-party providers to meet its deployment schedule and regulatory requirements. Metayer indicated that Amazon is actively working with multiple launch partners to ensure timely deployment of its satellite constellation.