Europe's Ariane 6 Rocket Successfully Launches Galileo Satellites

An Arianespace Ariane 6 rocket launched two Galileo navigation satellites from Kourou, French Guiana on December 17, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. EST, according to Space.com. This launch marked the first deployment of Galileo satellites using the Ariane 6, which is becoming a significant player in the heavy-lift launch market.

The Galileo Launch 14 satellites are intended to join 26 other active satellites in the constellation, which serves as Europe's counterpart to the United States' Global Positioning System. The satellites are expected to deploy approximately three hours and 20 minutes post-liftoff, followed by a three-day period for unfolding solar arrays and conducting critical system checks.

After this, they will enter a four-month drift and positioning phase before reaching their final operational orbits at an altitude of 14,429 miles. Until now, most Galileo satellites were launched using the retired Ariane 5 or the Russian Soyuz rocket, but following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Europe had to rely on SpaceX's Falcon 9 for some launches.

With Ariane 6 now operational, Europe can conduct these missions independently. This launch was the fifth flight of the Ariane 6, which has successfully completed four missions over the past year, including its last launch just over a month prior.