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Galileo constellation grows by 4 satellites

October 29, 2018  - By

Galileo satellites GSAT0215, GSAT0216, GSAT0217 and GSAT0218, launched in December 2017, were commissioned for operational use as of Oct. 12, with all signals usable: Open Service, Public Regulated Service and Search and Rescue Service.

This increases the number of Galileo satellites that are available for service provision to 18. Initial operational capability for the constellation was declared on December 15 2016.

The additions to the GNSS almanac include the following:

GSAT0215:  space vehicle E21 aka Nicole, occupying slot A03 if the constellation, with its payload running on a phased hydrogen maser (PHM) clock.

GSAT0216: E25, Zofia, slot A07, PHM clock.

GSAT02017: E27, Alexandre, slot A04, PHM clock.

GSAT0218: E31, Irina, slot A01, PHM clock

Each satellite weighs 715 kilo;  measures 2.7 x 1.2 x 1.1 meters with a deployed solar array span of 14.67 meters; has onboard power of 1,900 W; and broadcasts navigation signals in 3 bands: E5, E6 and E1. Design life of the new satellites is more than 12 years.

Satellites GSAT-219 (Tara), GSAT-220 (Samuel), GSAT-221 (Anna) and GSAT-222 (Ellen) were launched on July 25 and are currently listed as under commissioning.

Galileo status information

Updated information on the status of the Galileo constellation can be found in the Constellation Status section of the European GNSS Service Centre’s (GSC’s) website.

Delivery person uses Galileo on a mobile device to deliver a package. (Photo: GSA)

Delivery person uses Galileo on a mobile device to deliver a package. (Photo: GSA)

According the the European GNSS Agency (GSA), more than 100 million devices are using Galileo today.

For more information on user technology, see GSA’s 2nd User Technology Report and a commentary, “Farewell to the Golden Age of GPS.”

To keep track of Galileo-enabled devices serving a variety of needs as they become available, visit usegalileo.eu.

The Galileo Initial Services allow the use of Galileo Open Service (OS), which enables a free of charge, global ranging, positioning and timing service for the OS users.

Galileo is interoperable with the GNSS constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Beidou). By offering dual frequencies as standard, Galileo is set to deliver real-time positioning accuracy down to the meter range.

For questions about Galileo, contact the GSC Helpdesk.

Four Galileo satellites were added to constellation in October 2018. (Image: GSA)

Four Galileo satellites were added to constellation in October 2018. (Image: GSA)