Latest Galileo delivery

Galileos 19 and 20 arriving at Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport in French Guiana on 18 September 2017. – photo ©ESA-P Muller
Europe’s Galileo navigation satellites orbit 23,222 km above Earth to provide positioning, navigation and timing information all across the globe. – photo ©GSA

Europe’s next two Galileo navigation satellites have been delivered to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana ahead of the launch of a quartet by Ariane 5 at the end of this year. Galileos 19 and 20 left Luxembourg Airport in a Boeing 747 cargo jet on the morning of 18 September, arriving at Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport in French Guiana that evening. Safely cocooned within protective air-conditioned containers, the pair were offloaded and driven to the cleanroom environment of the preparation building within the space centre. This building will remain their home as preparations for their launch proceeds, with the next two Galileos due to join them later this month (October).