Skip to main content

Europe orders eight more Galileo satellites

The European Commission on Friday issued a contract worth some US$330 million for eight more satellites for its Galileo satellite-navigation network, bringing the total number in production by a German-UK consortium to 22 and keeping the programme on track to be fully operational by the end of the decade.
March 19, 2012 Read time: 1 min

The 2465 European Commission on Friday issued a contract worth some US$330 million for eight more satellites for its Galileo satellite-navigation network, bringing the total number in production by a German-UK consortium to 22 and keeping the programme on track to be fully operational by the end of the decade.

So far, the project launched two in-orbit validation (IOV) satellites last October and plans to put another two validation satellites into orbit  this year to prove the system. The first of the 22 fully functioning satellites on order will be launched to provide planned initial satellite navigation services in 2014, with full global operation of the system by 2019, when the expected full 30-satellite constellation is in orbit.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Wacker Neuson builds on Caterpillar link
    November 14, 2012
    Bolstered by building machines for Caterpillar and high demand for its VDS equipped excavators, Wacker Neuson has greatly increased its compact equipment building capability in Linz - Nick Johnson reports At a time when some other construction equipment makers have still scaled back their operations following the global economic crisis, Wacker Neuson has been busy building new facilities and increasing its production capacity. Last month the company officially opened its new compact equipment production fac
  • A pothole damage breakthrough?
    April 11, 2013
    Academic research by two universities in the same UK city shows that patch repairs on potholes could be far more durable if a few simple techniques were consistently used. Guy Woodford reports. Repairing pothole damage to highways and vehicles across Europe costs responsible authorities and individual motorists hundreds of millions of euros each year. Yet it has cost just €20,204 to make the potentially crucial first step in identifying a method of keeping highways across the continent and beyond pothole fr
  • €2.27bn UK road investment in 2014 to support over 9,500 construction jobs
    November 11, 2013
    Over 9,500 construction jobs will be supported in 2014 by more than €2.27 billion (£1.9 billion) of investment in Britain’s roads, Transport Minister Robert Goodwill announced today. The total investment in 209 schemes is €5.15 billion (£4.3 billion), with the €2.27 billion to be spent in 2014 more than twice the amount being spent this year. Due to either start or be completed in 2014, these road programmes are estimated to boost the economy by over €22.52 billion (£18.8 billion) and are part of a €119.8
  • State-of-the art road tunnels in construction and use of ITS
    April 25, 2013
    A wealth of major road tunnel construction projects and significant cant ITS installations within existing key road tunnels have been recently completed or will soon be underway. Guy Woodford examines some of them. A state-of-the art Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) - the 10th largest ever to be built worldwide will be put to work later this year on New Zealand Transport Agency’s landmark Waterview Connection project in Auckland. The giant Herrenknecht-manufactured machine will be used to construct the twin 2.5