Galileo satellites 9 and 10 prepare for liftoff

This timelapse video shows Galileo satellites 9 and 10, from final preparations to liftoff on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 02:08 GMT on 11 September 2015 (04:08 CEST; 23:08 local time, 10 September 2015.

Galileo is the Europe’s own global satellite navigation system. It will consist of 30 satellites and their ground infrastructure.

The definition, development and In-Orbit Validation phases were carried out by ESA, and co-funded by ESA and the European Commission. This phase created a mini constellation of four satellites and a reduced ground segment dedicated to validating the overall concept.

The Full Operational Capability phase is fully funded by the European Commission. The Commission and ESA have signed a delegation agreement by which ESA acts as design and procurement agent on behalf of the Commission.