Europe's Ariane 6 Rocket Successfully Launches Galileo Satellites

Europe's Ariane 6 rocket successfully launched two Galileo navigation satellites from Kourou, French Guiana on December 17, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. EST. This mission, known as Galileo Launch 14, is significant as it adds the new satellites to an existing constellation of 26 active satellites, which is Europe's counterpart to the U.S.

Global Positioning System. The satellites are expected to deploy approximately three hours and 20 minutes after liftoff and will take three days to unfold their solar arrays and run critical system checks before entering a four-month drift and positioning phase to reach their operational orbits.

Previously, most Galileo satellites were launched using the Ariane 5 rocket or the Russian Soyuz, but after geopolitical changes, Europe has shifted to using SpaceX's Falcon 9 and now the Ariane 6, which has completed five launches, marking a pivotal moment for European launch capabilities in the heavy-lift market.