20/10/2026
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Twelve Galileo Second Generation (G2) satellites will join the current fleet in the coming years. They will deliver unprecedented positioning, navigation and timing capabilities thanks to an array of new features, including a new signal generation module, the ‘brain’ of the spacecraft.
Picture a huge industrial hall with high ceilings, bright lights and an open layout. Six workstations are spread through the space, each of them occupied by one satellite. Much like an assembly line, Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) factory in Friedrichshafen, Germany, currently hosts six Galileo Second Generation satellites at different stages of integration.
Together with Thales Alenia Space (TAS), the two companies are building the G2 family that will carry many innovative features: electric propulsion, inter-satellite link capacity, an advanced atomic clock configuration, an enhanced navigation antenna and a new signal generator.
In a navigation satellite, the signal generation instrument reads the precise timing information provided by onboard atomic clocks and generates the signals that are transmitted to users on Earth, acting as the brain of the navigation in the satellite.
The G2 signal generation module will be even more intelligent than its first-generation counterpart. It will be able to generate a variety of navigation signals in real time and be reprogrammed in orbit to create new ones, giving Galileo greater flexibility to adapt to evolving user needs while maintaining its high level performance.
This innovative ability to reconfigure in orbit will translate into signals that can become even more robust against interference, support faster acquisition, allow for higher positioning accuracy, and overall adapt to meet needs that we cannot yet anticipate.
Airbus has recently put this new brain to the test. Having successfully passed all examinations in Toulouse, France, the first module is now back in Friedrichshafen for its next steps.
It will soon be paired with the radio frequency (RF) output module, the mouth that speaks the brain’s thoughts, forming what is known as the satellite’s payload, which will also be tested next year. Afterwards, brain and mouth will be fitted into the body of the satellite, or platform.
In parallel, Airbus Defence and Space and its industrial partners are building and testing many other components. For instance, two navigation antennas, the ‘speakers’ that shout the generated signals to receivers on Earth, were recently evaluated in the company’s facilities in Madrid, Spain, and will soon be declared fit for flight.
All these activities taking place across Europe, from developing equipment to qualifying components, will come together next year during the full integration of the first flying satellite model, bringing Galileo’s next generation one step closer to space.
About Galileo
Galileo is currently the world’s most precise satellite navigation system, serving billions of users around the globe since entering Open Service in 2016. All smartphones sold in the European Single Market are guaranteed Galileo-enabled. In addition, Galileo is making a difference across the fields of rail, maritime, agriculture, financial timing services and rescue operations.
The Galileo programme is managed and funded by the European Commission under the EU Space programme. ESA leads the design, development and qualification of the space and ground systems. ESA is also entrusted with research and development activities for the future of Galileo within the EU programme Horizon Europe. The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) acts as the service provider, bringing the satellites into service and overseeing their operation and the market and application needs.
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