06/04/2022 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 5 April, the company Arianespace announced that it had signed an agreement with the American digital giant Amazon for 18 launches over 3 years of the future Ariane 6 launcher (Ariane 64) in order to put into orbit satellites of the Kuiper constellation, a project for a global high-speed internet constellation, which should be operational by 2030. “This contract, the largest we’ve ever signed, is a great moment in Arianespace’s history”, said CEO Stéphane Israël. This is welcome news for Arianespace after the withdrawal of the Russian Soyuz rocket in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (see EUROPE 12900/13) and the delays in the inaugural launch of Ariane 6 due to the Covid-19 pandemic (see EUROPE 12592/34). (PH)