Galileo sites from pole to tropics begin migration

Galileo’s Ground Segment is at the heart of the system: it keeps satellites on time, pinpoints their position and possible drift, processes data and monitors the reliability of the constellation, ultimately enabling Galileo’s excellent performance. Each station in this extensive network is now set to undergo an upgrade integrating new hardware and software to ensure system sustainability, enhance robustness and reinforce cybersecurity. This operation is critical for the roll-out of the Public Regulated Service (PRS) that will provide highly accurate and robust encrypted signals for authorised governmental users.

ESA, as system development prime and design authority, has led this effort and together with five European companies (Thales Alenia Space, GMV, Telespazio Belgium, Thales SIX and Indra) successfully upgraded three key sites that represent different station typologies: Redu, Belgium; Réunion, French overseas department in the Indian Ocean; and Jan Mayen, Norway.

These initial upgrades served as demonstration prototypes, paving the way for the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), the Galileo service provider, to coordinate the upgrade of the 11 remaining sites together with the same industrial partners. Migration activities will continue for most of 2025.

The upgrades presented significant logistical and technical challenges, from coordinating multiple contractors to navigating the logistical hurdles of isolated locations. These operations involved temporarily halting site operations while maintaining Galileo’s performance and ensuring no disruption to end-user services, a key achievement thanks to meticulous planning, synchronisation between entities and exceptional support from the Galileo Control and Security Monitoring Centres.

Redu, the pioneer site

The Redu station in Belgium located at ESA ESEC premises hosts a Galileo sensor station; a telemetry, tracking and command station and an in-orbit test centre. The sensor station was the first to undergo migration after the Control Centres were upgraded, offering a straightforward test case due to the nature of the station and the favourable logistics.

The migration was accomplished by a small team within just a few days, providing valuable practice ahead of the more complex migration at Réunion.

Réunion, the intricate site

Following the successful migration at Redu, the team tackled a significantly more complex upgrade at the island of Réunion. This site combines a sensor station; a telemetry, tracking and command station, as well as an uplink station, adding to the challenge. Reunion was also the pioneer location for the first deployment of the cyber security monitoring element that enhances the system’s capability to identify and defend against cyberattacks.

A team of 12 people from ESA and involved industry was deployed in shifts for six weeks. The specialists completed the migration, successfully overcoming the complexities of the site.

Jan Mayen, the isolated site

The third site migrated under ESA’s oversight was the one on Jan Mayen, a Norwegian island 500 km off the coast of Greenland. This migration was not the hardest technically, as the site only hosts a sensor station, but was logistically challenging given its remote location in the Arctic. For example, the plane carrying the team and equipment was not able to land on the first day due to poor visibility and strong winds, forcing it to return to Oslo and attempt to land again on the following day.

These activities mark the first major migration of Galileo’s Ground Segment remote sites since they began providing services a decade ago, and sets the stage for Galileo’s continued evolution and excellence. The next major systemwide upgrade will likely coincide with the transition to Galileo Second Generation (G2) in the coming years.

About Galileo

Galileo is currently the world’s most precise satellite navigation system, serving over four billion smartphone users around the globe since entering Open Service in 2017. All smartphones sold in the European Single Market are now guaranteed Galileo-enabled. In addition, Galileo is making a difference across the fields of rail, maritime, agriculture, financial timing services and rescue operations.

A flagship programme of the EU, Galileo is managed and funded by the European Commission. Since its inception, ESA, as system development prime and design authority, leads the design, development and qualification of the space and ground systems, and procures launch services. ESA is also entrusted with research and development activities for the future of Galileo within the EU programme Horizon Europe. The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) acts as the system prime for the operational system provider, ensuring exploitation and safe and secure delivery of services while overseeing market demands and application needs.

For more info about Galileo: https://www.usegalileo.eu/EN/