European Space Agency orders four more Galileo Second Generation satellites

28 October 2026

The European Space Agency extended its contracts for four more Galileo Second Generation satellites, taking the planned G2 fleet to 16. The contracts were signed with Thales Alenia Space in Italy on 23 October and with Airbus Defence and Space in Germany on 26 October 2026; each company already held a 2021 contract for six G2 satellites. The four new satellites are identical to the earlier ones and are due for delivery in 2031, with launch to follow. The G2 design carries fully digital navigation payloads, a better navigation antenna, inter-satellite links and an advanced atomic clock configuration. Integration and flight testing of the first G2 satellites begin in 2027, ahead of the first G2 launch in 2028. Galileo is managed and funded by the European Commission under the EU Space programme; ESA leads design, development and qualification and acts as technical launch authority, while the EU Agency for the Space Programme is the service provider and oversees operations.