Galileo SATs 5-6 are scheduled to lift off at 12:31 GMT (14:31 CEST, 09:31 local time) on 21 August from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on top of a Soyuz rocket.

You can follow free live videostream of the launch on: ESA TV and Arianespace TV

and on the Twitter accounts: @ESA, @Arianespace, @GalileoGNSS and the hashtag #Galileo

Artist’s view of Galileo Sat 5 and 6

The two satellites will join the four Galileo IOV satellites already in space. Launched in pairs in October 2011 and October 2012, these four satellites, the minimum required to obtain a position fix, served to demonstrate and validate the space and ground segments of the system.

Galileo SATs 7-8 are scheduled to follow end of year 2014.  Then the constellation will be gradually deployed with six to eight satellites launched per year using a series of Soyuz and Ariane launches from Kourou, along with remaining elements of the ground network.

The definition, development and In-Orbit Validation phases of the Galileo programme were carried out by ESA and co-funded by ESA and the EU.

The Full Operational Capability phase is managed and fully funded by the European Commission. The Commission and ESA have signed a delegation agreement by which ESA acts as design and procurement agent on behalf of the Commission.