“To infinity and beyond”: 2 more European Galileo satellites launched

Two new European Galileo satellites were successfully launched yesterday from the European Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, with a Soyuz rocket on behalf of Arianespace, bringing to 28 the total number in orbit. It was the 11th Galileo satellite launch in the last decade.

On the night of Saturday to Sunday, a pitcher #Soyuz implemented from French Guiana ???? placed the first two units of the third set of satellites in orbit @GalileoSats ???????? https://t.co/1zBBUVErsX pic.twitter.com/KIYPl1fFF0

— P.-F. Mouriaux (@PFMouriaux) December 6, 2021

Five years after the launch of Galileo, the world’s most expensive navigation system, its signals are now used by more than 2.3 billion devices worldwide, from smartphones to emergency audible alarms.

The 715 kg satellites were initially orbited at an altitude of 23,525 km and in the coming weeks, after the appropriate “maneuvers”, will be in their final operational orbit at an altitude of 23,222 km. The European Space Agency (ESA) has undertaken the planning, EU-funded testing and development of the Galileo system. Another ten first-generation Galileo satellites are expected to be launched in the next three years. Six of them are already in the testing phase or ready to be transported to South America for launch.

The next generation of more advanced satellites, known as “Galileo Second Generation” or G2G, will follow. ESA is already developing these second-generation satellites in partnership with European companies that form two separate consortia for competitive reasons. The first launch of the most advanced Galileo is scheduled for 2024.

European Commissioner Thierry Breton said: “Since 2016, the Galileo Open Service has been providing excellent positioning accuracy, which is now used by over two billion users worldwide. Galileo also includes a search and rescue service, which significantly reduces the time it takes to locate people at risk, and for the first time provides a return link service that notifies people at risk that their request for assistance has been received. “This launch strengthens the existing satellite network and strengthens Europe’s strong position in the field of satellites and global navigation services.”

Galileo, one of the main components of the European space program, provides free accessible satellite data that allows location, navigation and timing. These services are applicable not only in the field of mobile telephony and car navigation, but also in various other areas, such as the synchronization of energy networks, transport, mobility, land uses and emergency services.

Galileo continues to develop groundbreaking new services and will soon launch the first 20 cm high-precision identifiers, as well as the first high-precision signals. An innovative emergency warning service is also being prepared.

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