ESA Navigation

Unboxing Galileo

Latest Galileo satellite arrives at ESA’s test centre

Europe’s latest Galileo navigation satellite has arrived at the Agency’s technical centre in the Netherlands for testing, as the previous two satellites are prepared for shipping to French Guiana for launch this summer.

Sea trial

Galileo: following the trail of the dragon-ships

Results are being processed from the first Galileo maritime trials outside of mainland Europe. The long-range, high-latitude testing spanned the North Sea, following the same historical sailing route that Viking dragon-ships used 1200 years ago.

Electric thrusters may steer Galileo in future

Future Galileo navigation satellites might adopt electric propulsion to reach their final orbits, with the weight savings offering larger payloads and a broader range of services in the 2020s.

New Galileo station opens in Azores

The latest addition to Galileo’s worldwide ground infrastructure has been made in the mid-Atlantic, on Portugal’s Santa Maria island in the Azores.

Wings of power

Dutch company powering Galileo

As they bathe the ground below them in test navigation messages, Europe’s Galileo satellites are kept alive by the Sun. 

ESA to certify first Galileo position fixes worldwide

To mark the first anniversary of Galileo’s historic first satnav positioning measurement, ESA plans to award certificates to groups who picked up signals from the four satellites in orbit to perform their own fixes.

Galileo to augment systems guiding aircraft in 2020

Plans to harness Galileo and other satnav systems for next-generation satellite augmentation systems for aviation and other high-performance uses took a significant step forward at the latest gathering of worldwide operators and experts.

Galileo for mass market

ESA helping prepare satnav mass market for Galileo services

With the first Galileo services set to begin this year, ESA is working directly with European manufacturers of mass-market satnav chips and receivers to ensure that their products are Galileo-ready.

Galileo validated

Galileo works, and works well

The in-orbit validation of Galileo has been achieved: Europe now has the operational nucleus of its own satellite navigation constellation in place – the world’s first civil-owned and operated satnav system.

First airborne fix

Galileo achieves its first airborne tracking

ESA’s Galileo satellites have achieved their very first aerial fix of longitude, latitude and altitude, enabling the inflight tracking of a test aircraft.

Galileo out of vacuum

ESA’s new breed of Galileo endures weeks of simulated space

ESA’s newest Galileo satellite has emerged from five weeks of simulated space conditions: Friday saw a hatch slid open to end its thermal-vacuum test, a milestone on the way to orbit.

Experts seek to harness Galileo for science

As Galileo takes shape, as well as offering precision navigation and timing services around the world it is also shaping up to become a promising tool for science. 

Galileo put to the test

A testing time for Galileo satellites headed to space

Europe’s next pair of Galileo satellites have been the focus of a busy autumn at ESA’s technical centre in the Netherlands, continuing a full-scale campaign to ensure their readiness for space.

Athlete tracker takes home grand prize

A small but revolutionary motion sensor worn by athletes has scored a big win in this year’s European Satellite Navigation Competition. Proposed by the ESA Business Incubation Centre start-up company Kinexon, it provides accurate, realtime information on an athlete’s condition.

Search and rescue sites

European ground stations enable Galileo search and rescue testing

ESA’s completion of a pair of dedicated ground stations at opposite ends of Europe has enabled Galileo satellites in orbit to participate in global testing of the Cospas–Sarsat search and rescue system.

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Galileo given its voice

Galileo's first fix