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Launch of two further Galileo navigation satellites “made by OHB”

April 28, 2024

Galileo fans watch out: Last night, two OHB Galileo FOC (Full Operational Capability) satellites were successfully launched again for the first time since 2021.

“Galileo has been providing reliable positioning, navigation, and timing data for years,” says Dr. Kristian Pauly, Director of Navigation at OHB. “The positioning accuracy is at least a factor of 2 better than that of the GPS navigation service, at only a tenth of the cost per satellite. OHB has thus played its part in ensuring the continuity of this best-in-class positioning service, which is already being used by more than four billion people worldwide.” Eight more fully finished Batch 3 satellites are ready to be launched. “As OHB’s first Galileo satellites were launched back in 2014 and are now nearing the end of their official service lives, this launch is critical for the Galileo program. Each satellite has an expected lifetime of around twelve years, although their life span could go beyond that under favorable conditions,“ explains Pedro Sanchez, OHB’s project manager for Galileo Batch 3.

What is Galileo capable of?

The Galileo satellites transmit signals that can be received with recent smartphones or navigation devices. The Galileo High Accuracy Service positioning data is accurate up to 20 cm horizontally and 40 cm vertically. In addition, Galileo offers a global search and rescue (SAR) service. The Galileo satellite receives the signal and forwards it to the emergency centers on the Earth to ensure an immediate response.

At present, 24 navigation satellites designed, engineered, and integrated by OHB are orbiting some 23,000 kilometers above the Earth. Acting on behalf of the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA) awarded different contracts for a total of 34 first-generation satellites to OHB System AG, the prime contractor. Galileo provides Europe not only with its own satellite navigation system, but also with best-in-class service/performances.

The Full Operational Capability phase of the Galileo programme is managed and funded by the European Union. The European Commission, ESA and EUSPA (the EU Agency for the Space Programme) have signed an agreement by which ESA acts as design authority and system development prime on behalf of the Commission and EUSPA as the exploitation and operation manager of Galileo/EGNOS. The views expressed in this Press Release can in no way be taken to reflect the opinion of the European Union and/or ESA