Galileo demonstrator satellite named GIOVE (2005)

The first satellite in the Galileo adventure was named GIOVE. Short for 'Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element', GIOVE also means Jupiter in Italian, paying tribute to the famous Italian scientist Galileo Galilei who discovered the planet's four largest moons, which can be used to determine longitude anywhere on Earth.

The name was revealed by the Dutch Minister Karla Peijs, in a media event organised at ESTEC, in the Netherlands in November 2005. The satellite was then launched in December of the same year and transmitted the first test navigation signal on 12 January 2006, securing the frequencies allocated by the International Telecommunication Union. It also tested key pieces of hardware such as the Rubidium Atomic Clocks (RAFS) and studied the orbit’s environment.