Overview

Galileo is a MEO satellite constellation consisting of 24 operational and 6 spare satellites at approximatley 23,222 km above the Earth’s surface and at an incline angle of 56° to the equator. The ESA launched Galileo starting in 2016 so Europe could have its own navigation which would be interoperable with GPS and Glonass. After testing has finished, Galileo expects to cover at least 90% of the Earth’s surface with at least 4 satellites at any given time.  The inclination angle was chose so Galileo would have better coverage at polar lattitudes where GPS currently has poor coverage. [1] [2]

Related Links

EGSA: Galileo Constellation Information