ESA recently confirmed that 4 more Galileo spacecraft have been given the green light to begin working alongside the rest of the constellation. This takes the number of Galileo Full Operational Capability satellites currently in service to 22, and all of them are flying SSTL’s Galileo navigation payload – the brains of the GNSS service.
Our role in Galileo actually began about 15 years ago when we started the design and build of GIOVE-A, a “pathfinder” satellite which secured the Galileo frequency filings at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and which also played a crucial role as a test-bed for the Galileo payload units.
Since then SSTL has supplied 22 navigation payloads for Europe’s fully operational global satellite navigation system, Galileo, and we are currently manufacturing a further 12 payloads. SSTL’s solution is based on European sourced atomic clocks, signal generators, high power TWTAs, and Antennas. The navigation payloads are delivered to prime contractor OHB System AG in Bremen, Germany for integration into the satellite platform.
