Europe launches Galileo satellites

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Europe launched four more Galileo satellites yesterday, taking the number in orbit to 26 and moving a step closer to having its own navigation system, just as the programme has become the latest flashpoint in Brexit negotiations.

The satellites, which will be part of the European Union’s alternative to the US Global Positioning System, or GPS, blasted off from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 rocket at 8.25 AM local time (1325 GMT), according to the European Space Agency (ESA).

The Galileo system will eventually have a total of 30 satellites, weighing about 700 kg (1,543 pounds) each. They are equipped with antennae and sensors and powered by two five-square-metre (53.8 square foot) solar wings.

The EU aims to use Galileo to tap into the global market for satellite navigation services, which it estimates will be worth 250 billion euros ($293 billion) by 2022.

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