On 27 October 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced contract extensions for four more Galileo Second Generation (G2) satellites, bringing the contracted G2 fleet to 16. The additions are split between Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence and Space, with delivery scheduled for 2031 and launch to follow afterward.
How the four satellites are allocated
ESA signed the Thales Alenia Space extension in Rome on 23 October 2026, then signed the Airbus Defence and Space extension in Ottobrunn on 26 October. Aerospace trade reporting says each company received contracts for two additional satellites. Before the extensions, each contractor had contracts for six G2 satellites, making 12 in total.
ESA extended the contracts on behalf of the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), for the benefit of Galileo’s owner, the European Union.
An Airbus assembly hall gives a sense of the program’s production setting, while the four newly contracted satellites remain part of a future delivery schedule.
Delivery is scheduled for 2031, followed by launch
ESA’s schedule places delivery of the four additional satellites in 2031, with launch shortly afterward. That delivery milestone is separate from the earlier G2 program schedule: ESA expected integration and flight testing of the first G2 satellites in 2027 and planned the first G2 launch for 2028.
| Date | Galileo G2 milestone |
| 23 October 2026 | ESA signed the Thales Alenia Space contract extension in Rome. |
| 26 October 2026 | ESA signed the Airbus Defence and Space contract extension in Ottobrunn. |
| 2027 | Integration and flight testing of the first G2 satellites expected. |
| 2028 | First G2 launch planned. |
| 2031 | Delivery of the four additional satellites scheduled, followed by launch shortly afterward. |
What the G2 design includes
ESA describes G2 as having fully digital navigation payloads, a higher-performance navigation antenna, inter-satellite links and an advanced atomic-clock configuration. The additional satellites are to match the G2 units already in development.
ESA’s English-language overview, published in 2025, introduces the G2 design with animation and documentary footage. It predates the October 2026 contract extensions.
An earlier space-to-ground compatibility test
A separate integration milestone came in September 2024. CE Sevilla TechPark reported that a one-week System Compatibility Test Campaign connected initial communications between a Thales Alenia Space G2 satellite and GMV’s portable G2 ground segment, checked their interfaces and succeeded. The campaign tested communication between a spacecraft and its ground equipment, a step distinct from contracting additional satellites.
