Four new second generation satellites for the Galileo fleet

The second generation Galileo satellite fleet is growing. And from 2031 it will go from 12 to 16 satellites. In fact, ESA, the European space agency, has extended the contracts to build 4 which will be completed and launched by 2031.

In recent days the contracts were signed, in Rome and Ottobrunn, Germany, «assigned to the first generation industries of Galileo Thales Alenia Space (Italy) and Airbus Defense and Space (Germany)». These are the companies already under contract with ESA to build 6 G2 satellites each. New pieces for the program managed and financed by the European Commission within the EU space programme.

For ESA director for resilience, navigation and connectivity Laurent Jaffart, thanks to the new contracts "ESA and European industry are safeguarding the continuity of European satellite navigation services, responding to the evolving needs of users and strengthening Europe's strategic autonomy". The four additional satellites, scheduled for delivery in 2031 and launch soon after, “will be identical to those already in development.”

«Equipped with fully digital navigation payloads, a higher-performance navigation antenna, an intersatellite link capability and an advanced atomic clock configuration - the ESA underlines -, the G2 satellites will provide more robust and reliable positioning, navigation and timing».

The first twelve G2 satellites have already started "with development and qualification activities approaching completion". System integration and compatibility test campaigns are underway. Integration and flight tests are scheduled for 2027 while the first launch of the G2 is scheduled for 2028. Galileo, as underlined by ESA, is considered "the most precise satellite navigation system in the world" and its use ranges from the railway sector to the maritime sector, continuing with the agricultural sector, financial timing services and rescue operations.