Arianespace announced at the European Space…

Arianespace announced at the European Space Conference in Brussels the signature of the launch contract with the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), under the delegation of the European Commission, to orbit the second pair of second-generation satellites of the Galileo constellation (Galileo L18) on board an Ariane 6 launcher.

The launch of Galileo L18 will represent Ariane 6's fifth mission for Europe's high-precision global navigation satellite system. On December 17th, 2025, Ariane 6 successfully orbited for the first time, and with the utmost accuracy, a pair of satellites for Galileo (Galileo L14). Two other Ariane 6 launches are scheduled to complete the first-generation of Galileo satellites with the launch of the Galileo L15 and Galileo L16 missions. The fourth Galileo Ariane 6 flight will put into orbit the first pair of second-generation Galileo satellites (Galileo L17).