• → European Space Agency

      • Space for Europe
      • Space News
      • Space in Images
      • Space in Videos
    • About Us

      • Welcome to ESA
      • DG’s blog
      • For Member State Delegations
      • Business with ESA
      • Law at ESA
      • ESA Exhibitions
      • ESA Publications
      • Careers at ESA
      • ESAshop
    • Our Activities

      • Space News
      • Observing the Earth
      • Human and Robotic Exploration
      • Space Transportation
      • Navigation
      • Space Science
      • Space Engineering & Technology
      • Operations
      • Telecommunications & Integrated Applications
      • Preparing for the Future
    • Careers at ESA

    • For Media

      • Media
      • ESA TV
      • Videos for professionals
      • Photos
    • For Educators

    • For Kids

    • ESA

    • Navigation

    • EGNOS

    • Galileo

    • Evolution

    • NAVISP

    • About satellite navigation
    • How satellite navigation works
    • Galileo and EGNOS
    • Launching Galileo
    • The story so far
    • Documents
    • Galileo: the future becomes reality - brochure (PDF)
    • EGNOS brochure (PDF)
    • Galileo factsheet (PDF)
    • Multimedia
    • Galileo deployment phase - video
    • Galileo towards the future - video
    • Galileo - Europe leads the way 3D video
    • Image gallery
    • Video gallery
    • Resources
    • Navipedia
    • Services
    • Subscribe

    ESA > Our Activities > Navigation

    Next Galileo satellites arrive at Europe’s Spaceport

    Galileo satellites unloaded
    7 May 2014

    Europe’s two latest Galileo navigation satellites touched down today at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, ready for their joint launch this summer.

    Packed safely within protective and environmentally controlled containers, the satellites were carried across the Atlantic aboard a 747 cargo carrier.

    Manufactured by OHB in Bremen, Germany, with navigation payloads contributed by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd in Guildford, UK, these satellites – the first of 22 full-capability models – had spent several months at ESA’s Technical Centre, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, where they underwent exhaustive testing in simulated space conditions.

    Landing

    On Monday they left on a pair of lorries for Frankfurt Airport in Germany, from where they flew the following evening. The satellites landed at Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport in French Guiana around 02:00 local time this morning.

    The satellites were then driven to the cleanroom surroundings of the spaceport, where they could be safely unpacked to begin the launch campaign.

    The pair will be launched together aboard a Soyuz rocket, joining the four Galileos already in orbit. This initial quartet – the minimum number needed for achieving a position fix – has demonstrated the overall system works as planned, while also serving as the operational nucleus of the coming full constellation.

    “Similar arrival scenes should become familiar over the next couple of years,” comments Giuliano Gatti, Head of ESA’s Galileo Space Segment Procurement Office. 

    Twin Galileo containers

    “These first two Full Operational Capability satellites are effectively preparing the way for the rest of the constellation, allowing the final validation of assembly, testing and launch preparation procedures.

    “A steady stream of satellites is foreseen, coming from OHB to ESTEC for acceptance testing and then on to French Guiana.

    “Thanks to the preparatory work done with these pioneer satellites, future Galileos will be processed more rapidly.”

    Galileo partners

    New Galileo satellite

    The definition, development and in-orbit validation phases of the Galileo programme were carried out by ESA and co-funded by ESA and the EU.

    The Full Operational Capability phase is managed and fully funded by the European Commission. The Commission and ESA have signed a delegation agreement by which ESA acts as design and procurement agent on behalf of the Commission.

    Rate this

    Views

    Share

    • Currently 5 out of 5 Stars.
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    Rating: 4.8/5 (54 votes cast)

    Thank you for rating!

    You have already rated this page, you can only rate it once!

    Your rating has been changed, thanks for rating!

    7101
    Tweet
      • Soyuz launch site
        • Soyuz launcher
        • Galileo FOC testing – in pictures
          • Latest Galileo satellite arrives at ESA’s test centre
            • ESA’s new breed of Galileo endures weeks of simulated space
              • A testing time for Galileo satellites headed to space
                • ESA’s next Galileo satellite passes its trial by noise
                  • First new Galileo satellite arrives at ESA for space testing
                    • Galileo spreads its wings
                    • Galileo FOC factsheet (PDF)
                    • Galileo IOV phase information sheet
    • App Store
    • Subscribe
    • mobile version
    • FAQ

    • Site Map

    • Contacts

    • Terms and conditions