The two new Galileo satellites launched in April have entered service, completing the second of the three constellation planes.

Three months after their launch from Cape Canaveral, Galileo satellites 29 and 30 have reached their target longitudes at an altitude of 23,222 km, where they have been fully tested and declared operational.

Both satellites have been deployed on the same orbital plane, one of the three that make up the Galileo constellation.

The two new satellites are active and providing navigation signals to users. Their addition to the constellation slightly increases the accuracy of the system and further guarantees the availability and robustness of Galileo signals.

The next two Galileo satellites are scheduled for launch in the next few weeks from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida onboard a Falcon 9 rocket.

Since the program’s inception, 38 satellites have been developed and tested by ESA and European industry. Of these, four In-Orbit-Validation and 26 Full Operation Capability satellites have been placed into orbit with 12 launches.

A Second Generation (G2) of satellites will start joining the constellation from 2026 onwards, using the Ariane 6 launch vehicle.