The world of navigation is changing, driven by rapidly emerging and changing user needs (availability and reliability), a growing number of security threats (jamming and spoofing), and the evolution of other navigation systems. The new batch of Galileo spacecraft built by Airbus is the answer to this changing context. It will make the Galileo service more accurate, secure and dependable, and adaptable over its lifetime spanning two decades.
The Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for Airbus’ system concept for the second-generation Galileo navigation satellites has successfully been completed with the proposed preliminary design and the customer’s system requirements fully reviewed and agreed upon.
This milestone paves the way for further verification, acceptance, and qualification at equipment and module levels. The verification at payload level is already in full swing, with the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the satellite structure also due shortly according to the aerospace company.
Accordingly, the Airbus site in Friedrichshafen, on Lake Constance is preparing for an industrialized production line for six (06) second-generation Galileo satellites. The satellite integration center is being completely upgraded to meet current and future requirements for efficient, environmentally friendly, safe, and secure production for the Galileo 2nd generation satellites.
The second generation of Galileo satellites is a key milestone in European satellite navigation services that European citizens and billions of users around the world will benefit from. Airbus, with its team of 200 highly skilled space engineers, plans to launch the first Galileo second generation in 2024.
Galileo is managed and funded by the European Union (EU). The European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) have signed an agreement by which ESA acts as design authority and system development prime on behalf of the EU and EUSPA as the exploitation and operation manager of Galileo.
Weighing around 2.3 tons, each satellite is designed to operate for about 15 years. The state-of-the-art and all-electric Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) platform from Airbus, reuses flight-proven building blocks from its Telecoms and Earth Observation programs, taking advantage of a unique combination of heritage and in-orbit experience. The flexible and modular navigation payload solution with future growth capability is also based on telecom elements for beamforming and signal generation.