Airbus announced on October 27, 2026, that the European Space Agency (ESA), acting for the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) under delegation from the European Commission, had awarded it a contract to build two additional Galileo Second Generation (G2) satellites. The pair adds to Airbus’s existing order for six.
The award adds to Airbus’s G2 order
The new contract brings Airbus’s stated G2 orders to eight satellites. Airbus lists five sites in its coordinated manufacturing, integration and testing program: Backnang, Friedrichshafen, Getafe, Ottobrunn and Toulouse.
What G2 technology is designed to do
Airbus describes G2 satellites as having stronger navigation antennas and digital payloads that can be reconfigured in orbit. That reconfiguration is intended to let the satellites support new signals and services as user needs change. The spacecraft are also designed with enhanced atomic-clock configurations, links for communication and data cross-checking, and anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities. Airbus says each satellite will weigh more than two tonnes and operate in orbit for 15 years.
ESA’s G2 program overview explains two operational features. Electric propulsion moves a satellite from its launch orbit to its operational orbit, and ESA says it allows two G2 satellites to be launched together despite their greater mass. Links between satellites support routine performance checks and reduce reliance on available ground installations.
The original G2 contracts covered 12 satellites
ESA describes the original G2 procurement as two contracts covering 12 satellites across Airbus and Thales Alenia Space. Their combined value was €1.47 billion. That figure applies to the original contracts. The additional pair is a later Airbus award.
