Space: launch of two more Galileo satellites to secure Europe’s strong position in providing global navigation services

Two new Galileo satellites were successfully launched on Sunday early morning from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, bringing the total number of spacecraft in orbit to 28. Five years after Galileo first entered into service, Galileo signals are used by more than 2.3 billion devices worldwide, from smartphones to emergency beacons.

Commissioner Thierry Breton, in charge of the Internal Market, said:

“Since 2016, the Galileo Open Service has been providing outstanding positioning accuracy which is by now used by more than two billion users worldwide. Galileo also features a Search and Rescue service, which greatly reduces the time to locate persons in distress, and provides the first-ever return link service, which informs those in distress that their call for help has been received. This launch reinforces the current constellation and secures Europe’s strong position in the field of global navigation satellites and services.”

As one of the main components of the European Space Programme, Galileo provides freely accessible satellite data enabling positioning, navigation and timing determination. These find applications not only in the mobile phone sector and car navigators, but also in various fields such as synchronisation of energy grids, transport and mobility sector, land use sector and distress location services. Galileo continues to develop ground-breaking new services, by introducing soon the first authenticated signals, as well as the first high accuracy signals of 20 centimeters. An innovative Emergency Warning Service is also being prepared.

For more information, please watch Commissioner Breton’s message and consult this page.