Galileo satellites 11 and 12 are mated with their distribution unit, which once complete is transferred for integration with the Soyuz Fregat launcher.
The latest Galileo satellites are scheduled to liftoff at 11:51 GMT on 17 December (12:51 CET; 08:51 Kourou time) from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on a Soyuz rocket. They are expected to become operational, after initial in-orbit testing, next spring.
This is the sixth Galileo launch overall and the third this year, set to bring the number of satellites in space up to 12.