ESA Expands Galileo Second Generation Satellite Fleet with Four New Contracts

The European Space Agency (ESA) has extended contracts to procure four additional Galileo Second Generation (G2) satellites, increasing the planned G2 fleet to 16 spacecraft. These new satellites, scheduled for delivery in 2031, are expected to be identical to those already in development, featuring fully digital navigation payloads, upgraded antennas, inter-satellite link capacity, and advanced atomic clock configurations to enhance positioning, navigation, and timing performance. The contract extensions were awarded to Thales Alenia Space (Italy) and Airbus Defence and Space (Germany).