SpaceX launches batch of Galileo navigation satellites into space

On Sunday, April 28, SpaceX launched a batch of Galileo navigation satellites for the European Space Agency (ESA) into space.

According to Ukrinform, this was reported by Florida Today.

Video: The Launch Pad

The Falcon 9 rocket with a batch of satellites on board was launched at 00.34 Kyiv time from the spaceport in Florida.

This was SpaceX's 42nd mission this year and the 31st to be launched from the southeastern US state.

Space.com notes that 28 Galileo satellites have been launched into space so far. They were launched by Russian-made Soyuz rockets or European Ariane-5 rockets.

However, the Ariane-5 was decommissioned last summer without a ready successor, and Europe has cut most of its space ties with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Therefore, at the end of last year, ESA signed an agreement with SpaceX to launch up to four Galileo spacecraft over two launches in 2024.

It is known that Galileo satellites are located in medium Earth orbit, at an altitude of 23,220 km above the Earth.

As Ukrinform reported, SpaceX launched another batch of 23 Starlink Internet satellites on Wednesday, April 24.

Photo: SpaceX via X