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Galileo orders four more satellites from Airbus and Thales Alenia Space

This dossier follows orders and deployment of Galileo Second Generation satellites, from industrial contracts to launches and entry into service.

Last updated : 1 key moments
Model of a Galileo IOV satellite made in 2014. Illustration of an earlier generation, not the four satellites ordered in 2026.
Model of a Galileo IOV satellite made in 2014. Illustration of an earlier generation, not the four satellites ordered in 2026. — Science Museum Group / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ — maquette réalisée en 2014, sans modification.

Where things stand

ESA announced on 27 October 2026 contract extensions for four additional Galileo Second Generation satellites. Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space will supply two each, bringing the contracted total to sixteen.

Confirmed

Galileo orders four more satellites from Airbus and Thales Alenia Space

ESA announced on 27 October 2026 contract extensions for four additional Galileo Second Generation satellites. Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space will supply two each, bringing the contracted total to sixteen.

Model of a Galileo IOV satellite made in 2014. Illustration of an earlier generation, not the four satellites ordered in 2026.
Model of a Galileo IOV satellite made in 2014. Illustration of an earlier generation, not the four satellites ordered in 2026. — Science Museum Group / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ — maquette réalisée en 2014, sans modification.

The agency schedules delivery of the four spacecraft for 2031, with launches afterwards. This is an order, not additional satellites already in orbit. ESA says the first spacecraft of the new generation are due for integration and flight testing in 2027 before an initial launch planned for 2028.

Announced equipment includes digital navigation payloads, improved antennas, inter-satellite links and an advanced atomic clock configuration. These are intended to strengthen positioning, navigation and timing services.

Thales Alenia Space says its two additional spacecraft will be integrated and tested in Rome. The timetable remains an announced programme schedule, with neither delivery nor launch confirmed at this stage.

Sources 3