ESA orders four more Galileo Second Generation satellites
ESA · Thales Alenia Space · Airbus
Thales Alenia Space and Airbus each win contracts for two more Galileo Second Generation satellites, growing the fleet to 16.
what happened
ESA signed contracts with Thales Alenia Space on Oct. 23 in Rome and with Airbus Defence and Space on Oct. 26 in Ottobrunn, Germany, each for two additional Galileo Second Generation satellites, per ESA's own announcement. Both contractors were already building six G2 satellites each under a 2021 order; the new satellites bring Thales Alenia Space's total to eight and the overall G2 fleet to 16, with delivery scheduled for 2031 and launch to follow. The satellites will be integrated and tested at Thales Alenia Space's Smart Factory in Rome, leading a consortium of partners from 14 European countries, per ESA. The first 12 G2 satellites are set to begin launching in 2028, per Via Satellite; Europe's operational Galileo system currently comprises 36 satellites in orbit, with two more from the first generation still to launch. ESA's Laurent Jaffart said the contracts "represent an investment in Europe's ability to navigate its own future, independently and with confidence," per Via Satellite.
why it matters
The order keeps Europe's sovereign GNSS program on a steady production cadence ahead of the first G2 launches, expected in 2027, giving component suppliers and ground-segment integrators across the 14-country consortium continued visibility into manufacturing volume. A larger G2 fleet also strengthens the long-term case for Galileo-based positioning services as an alternative to GPS for resellers building navigation products.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- ESA, Thales Alenia Space, Airbus
- Category
- contract
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 5 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-10-27
- Published
- 2026-10-27 12:54 UTC