/sci/ - Science & Math

EU finalizing contract with SpaceX for Galileo launches
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https://spacenews.com/eu-finalizing-contract-with-spacex-for-galileo-launches/
> WASHINGTON — The European Union is in the final stages of completing a deal with SpaceX to launch four Galileo navigation satellites in 2024.
> In press briefings during the European Space Summit in Seville, Spain, Nov. 7, Thierry Breton, commissioner for the internal market for the European Commission, said he was “finalizing the discussions” for a pair of Falcon 9 launches, each carrying two Galileo satellites, tentatively scheduled for April and July of 2024.
> The launch contract itself was completed in July, Breton noted, and that the European Commission had approved a European Space Agency proposal to use the Falcon 9 for launching those satellites. He said the European Commission would spend 180 million euros ($192 million) on the Falcon 9 launches.
> ESA had already contracted with SpaceX for three Falcon 9 launches, one of the Euclid astronomy spacecraft that took place in July and launches in 2024 of the Hera asteroid mission and EarthCARE Earth science satellite. ESA said it went with the Falcon 9 after the loss of the Soyuz, delays in the Ariane 6 and concerns about the Vega C, which remains out of service since a launch failure in December 2022.
> Breton said he welcomed agreements announced the day before, during the ESA portion of the European Space Summit, to shore up the European launch industry. That featured guaranteed financial support for a future batch of Ariane 6 and Vega C rockets, with up to 340 million euros a year for Ariane 6 and 21 million euros a year for Vega C. That agreement also includes a commitment of at least four Ariane 6 and three Vega C launches a year for European government customers.