The European Commission announced last week that it had awarded two contracts for the preparation of 12 second-generation Galileo satellites (6 each contractor), with a total value of EUR 1.47 billion , following an open tender between ThalesAleniaSpace (Italy) and Airbus Defense & Space (Germany).
Galileo is the EU version of the US Global Positioning System (GPS). Both systems, currently available in billions of smartphones around the world, enable users to pinpoint their location on the planet to within one meter. Galileo currently has 24 spacecraft in orbit, with another 12 first-generation spacecraft in various stages of assembly and still awaiting launch.
The first second-generation satellites are to be in orbit by the end of 2024. With new capabilities based on advanced, innovative technologies (digitally configurable antennas, inter-satellite connections, new atomic clock technologies, the use of fully electric propulsion systems), these satellites will improve the accuracy of the Galileo system and the quality and power of the transmitted signals, which will be crucial in the coming digital decade, as well as for greater security and for military applications.
