Brussels, Jan 28, 2026, 14:17 CET
- EU space programme agency signed a new Ariane 6 launch contract for Galileo’s L18 mission
- The deal lines up two more second-generation Galileo satellites for a European rocket
- The move lands as EU officials sharpen the language around “strategic autonomy” in space
The European Union’s space programme agency has signed a new contract to launch a pair of second-generation Galileo navigation satellites on Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket, tightening plans to keep the system’s most sensitive launches inside the bloc. The EU has leaned on Elon Musk’s SpaceX for some Galileo launches in recent years. (Reuters)
The contract matters beyond two satellites. European officials have been pushing harder to reduce dependence on U.S. suppliers and services in defence and space, and Galileo is one of the few pieces of infrastructure the bloc already runs as an alternative to the U.S. Global Positioning System.
That push was on full display in Brussels this week, where France’s space minister Philippe Baptiste urged the bloc to stop buying non-European components and warned about relying on outside systems. “We need to have autonomous access to space,” he told reporters at the European Space Conference. (Reuters)
EUSPA, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, said it signed the new launch contract with Arianespace for the L18 mission under delegation from the European Commission. It said the flight would be Ariane 6’s fifth in support of Galileo, following the rocket’s first Galileo mission on Dec. 17, 2025. Rodrigo da Costa, EUSPA’s executive director, called the deal part of “strengthening the Union’s space autonomy.” (EU Agency for the Space Programme)
Arianespace said the L18 contract follows an initial mission allocation made in April 2024, and that two more Ariane 6 launches are scheduled to finish Galileo’s first-generation constellation, on missions labelled L15 and L16. It said the fourth Galileo flight on Ariane 6, L17, will carry the first pair of second-generation satellites, with L18 set to follow. Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès said the recent Galileo launch showed Ariane 6’s “accuracy” for critical missions. (Newsroom Arianespace)
Galileo provides positioning and timing services used by phones, aircraft systems, shipping and financial networks, and by governments for more secure applications. The “second generation” satellites are upgrades aimed at better performance and resilience, the EU agencies say.
The shift back to a European rocket also highlights a commercial gap. European satellite operators have continued to book launches with SpaceX because its prices tend to be lower and its launch cadence higher.
Ariane 6, Europe’s new heavy launcher, is still building flight history and production rhythm after long delays. For Brussels, getting it into a steady cadence is as much a political goal as a technical one.
But the timetable is the risk. Any further slips in Ariane 6’s manifest could slow the refresh of Galileo satellites and force officials back into awkward choices about booking launches outside Europe for a system pitched as sovereign.
European Commission officials have framed Galileo as part of the bloc’s security posture as well as a commercial service. Timo Pesonen, the Commission’s director-general for defence industry and space, has described the programme as a route to “a robust, secure, and fully European navigation system.”
For now, the contract keeps the next steps clear on paper: finish the first generation with L15 and L16, then push deeper into the second generation with L17 and L18. The harder part is making the schedule stick while SpaceX keeps flying.
