Two more satellites strengthen Europe's Galileo network

Two new satellites have officially joined Europe's Galileo satellite navigation constellation, reinforcing its capability, resilience and operational autonomy. SAT 33 and SAT 34 bring added redundancy to what is widely regarded as the world's most advanced global navigation satellite system, supporting continuous, reliable data provision for billions of users worldwide. Four Galileo First Generation satellites remain to be launched, with the next pair scheduled for the end of the year. Over the past months, mission operators at the Galileo Control Centre in Germany (GCC-D) have been busy preparing the latest two Galileo satellites for operational service. Launched in December 2025, the mission benefitted from the most precise orbital injection ever achieved for Galileo, a near-perfect insertion that confirmed the high performance of Ariane 6. Galileo is the only programme to have flown satellites of the same mass to the same orbit with four launchers, using Soyuz, Ariane 5, Falcon 9 and now Ariane 6. Satellite separation took place about four hours after launch, followed by signal acquisition and solar array deployment, marking the beginning of the critical launch and early operations phase (LEOP). During this phase, GCC-D teams, under the responsibility of the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), commissioned the satellites' essential subsystems, manoeuvred them to point towards the Earth and started an orbital drift towards their target constellation slots. About seven days after launch, the LEOP was completed and the satellites declared fit for life into space. The commissioning phase was ready to begin. Signal-in-space Early this year, the satellites transmitted their first 'signal-in-space', the first broadcast of the navigation payload, to the Galileo in-orbit testing station, located at ESA-ESEC, in Redu, Belgium. This step opened the payload in-orbit testing phase, which ensures that the new satellites will contribute positively to the global performance of the Galileo service. While the GCC-D led satellite operations, ESA designed the test cases and payload configurations executed throughout the test campaign. In the meantime, teams configured and validated the navigation payload, atomic clocks, transponders and security functions. In parallel, operators manoeuvred the satellites to their precise orbital slots at 23 222 km. In May 2026, the EU Space Programme Security Accreditation Board authorized the entry into service of SAT 33. This was followed by that of SAT 34 on 23 July 2026, marking the full deployment of the L14 satellites within the Galileo constellation. Two new Galileo satellites lifted off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana aboard an Ariane 6 rocket on 17 December, marking the latest step in the expansion of Europe's satellite navigation system. (Image courtesy: ESA) Value staying current with geomatics? Stay on the map with our expertly curated newsletters.