The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) has signed a new launch contract with Arianespace to place the second pair of Galileo Second Generation satellites into orbit on an Ariane 6 rocket, in a move presented by EU officials as strengthening Europe’s autonomous access to space.
The agreement, dated 27 January 2026, covers the Galileo L18 mission, which EUSPA said will deploy the “second pair” of second-generation spacecraft. The contract was signed under delegation from the European Commission, with the announcement made during the European Space Conference in Brussels (27–28 January).
Arianespace said the L18 launch will be the fifth Ariane 6 mission supporting Galileo. It added that two further Ariane 6 launches are planned to complete the first-generation constellation, identified as Galileo L15 and L16, followed by Galileo L17 to carry the first pair of second-generation satellites, ahead of L18.
EUSPA described the deal as building on an earlier second-generation launch agreement reached in 2024 and as part of the agency’s expanding responsibilities, including oversight of Galileo launch activities. In parallel, the Commission’s defence industry and space directorate, DG DEFIS, characterised Galileo as a “cornerstone” of European strategic autonomy in comments included in EUSPA’s statement.
The contract comes after a period in which the EU relied on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 to maintain Galileo deployment schedules. The European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed that two Galileo satellites were launched on a Falcon 9 on 28 April 2024, adding to the constellation after Europe stopped using Russian Soyuz rockets for Galileo following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and while Ariane 6 was still coming online. The European Commission later noted that the next pair, launched in April 2024, entered service in early September 2024, and that a further Falcon 9 mission in mid-September 2024 added another two satellites.
A Reuters report on 28 January 2026 said the new EUSPA contract marks a shift back to European launch capacity after the use of SpaceX for strategic Galileo missions, and set the decision in the wider context of European efforts to reduce dependence in security-related domains. Reuters also noted that many European commercial satellite operators continue to use SpaceX on cost and capacity grounds.
Ariane 6’s return to Galileo follows its first dedicated Galileo mission on 17 December 2025, when an Ariane 6 launched a pair of satellites known as Galileo L14 from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. EUSPA said the satellites are now managed via its Galileo Control Centre, reflecting the operational split in which ESA leads development and procurement while EUSPA acts as service provider and oversees user needs.
Ariane 6 itself made its inaugural flight on 9 July 2024, according to ESA, after years of programme delays and the retirement of Ariane 5. ESA has framed Ariane 6 as central to restoring Europe’s independent access to space. The launcher is intended to support a range of missions, from institutional payloads to commercial constellations, and Arianespace has emphasised its suitability for precise insertions required by navigation satellites.
The L18 contract sits within the longer transition to Galileo’s second generation. In May 2021, ESA said it signed two contracts worth €1.47 billion on behalf of the European Commission to design and build an initial batch of 12 second-generation Galileo satellites, awarded to Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence and Space. ESA said the new satellites are designed to introduce new technologies, including electric propulsion and more digitally configurable payloads.
Arianespace and EUSPA did not publish a launch date for Galileo L18 in the contract announcements. Separately, ArianeGroup said Ariane 6’s next flight, VA267, is scheduled for 12 February 2026 and will deploy 32 satellites for Amazon’s low-Earth-orbit programme using the first flight of the four-booster Ariane 64 configuration, indicating a broader ramp-up in Ariane 6 operations alongside institutional missions.
