Arianespace @Arianespace🚀Save the dateOn 17 December 2025 at 02:01 local time (05:01 UTC), Arianespace, with Ariane 6, will place into orbit a pair of Galileo satellites for the European Space Agency (ESA),on behalf of the European Commission & the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)
Planned launches:Date - Satellite(s) - Rocket - Launch Site - Time (UTC)2026Early - SMILE - Vega C (VV??/VC??) - Kourou ELV
Smile has passed its qualification and flight acceptance review, meaning that it meets all requirements for launch. The launch window has been set for 8 April to 7 May 2026.
2026December - PLATO - Ariane 62 - Kourou ELA-4[...]Rideshare:December - HENON - Ariane 6 - Kourou ELA-4[...]Unclear:2030 - ARRAKIHS - Vega C - Kourou ELV (or early 2030’s)
[02:28] "The planned launch date is between January and March 2027 with ESA's PLATO satellite. Being launched with PLATO has shortened all the schedules."
Arrakihs is now in study phase, targeting a launch date in 2030.
Flight VV28: Launch rescheduledVega C21.11.2025To allow for the completion of additional preparation and finalization activities on the Vega C launcher, the VV28 launch has been rescheduled.The earliest targeted launch date is now November 30th, 2025, at 2:21 p.m. local time (5:21 p.m. UTC, 6:21 p.m. CET).Vega C and its passenger, the KOMPSAT-7 satellite, are in stable and safe conditions.This schedule adjustment has no impact on the VA266 launch for Galileo L14.
2031TBD - ArgoNET (Argonaut first missiion) - Ariane 64 Block 3 (TBD) - Kourou ELA-4
Argonaut represents Europe’s autonomous, versatile and reliable access to the Moon. Starting with the first mission in 2030, Argonaut landers will be launched on Ariane 6 rockets, each delivering up to 1.5 tonnes of exploration-enabling cargo to the Moon’s surface, from scientific instruments and rovers to vital resources for astronauts such as food, water and air.
2026Q3 - MTG-I2 - Ariane 64 - Kourou ELA-4
USN apply for a 30-day STA to support MTG-I2 LEOP operations from its Hawaii station to commence on March 15th 2026.
USN apply for a 180-day STA to support MTG-I2 LEOP operations from its Hawaii station to commence on April 15th 2026.
ESA’s L4 mission is under study to land on Saturn’s ocean moon Enceladus. It is the Agency’s fourth ‘Large-class’ mission and the first flagship mission of Voyage 2050. This ambitious mission aims to sample the plumes that burst out from beneath Enceladus’s icy crust, and perform in-situ measurements directly from the surface, seeking out the ingredients that could fuel life. The orbiter will also perform flybys around Saturn’s other moons, to better understand the conditions needed for habitable worlds.[...]Two Ariane 6 rockets will be required to launch the heavy spacecraft stack into space, with an in-orbit assembly close to Earth.Launch Date: 2042
Arianespace @ArianespaceFlight VV28: New launch dateAfter the completion of further operations on a ground means, a new launch date has been set for VV28.The earliest targeted launch date is now December 1st, 2025, at 2:21 p.m. local time (5:21 p.m. UTC, 6:21 p.m. CET). (1/2)
Arianespace @Arianespace🚀 Liftoff! #VegaC launches mission #VV28, for @kari2030 🇰🇷 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou.Onboard: #KOMPSAT7, heading to Sun-synchronous orbit.
2032TBD - EnVision [M5 mission] - Ariane 64 - Kourou ELA-4
Envision [Dec 2]QuotePlanned launch: November 2031
Planned launch: November 2031
The Danish government is now moving forward with plans to send a Danish satellite to the Moon as part of its new national space strategy. With a budget of DKK 130 million, equivalent to 19 million USD, Space Inventor in Aalborg is expected to design and build the satellite, which will study the lunar surface and environment as part of national and international scientific collaboration.If the European Space Agency (ESA) approves the Máni mission in December, the satellite is expected to launch toward the end of the decade. [...]The satellite will be based on Space Inventor’s proprietary microsatellite platform, the same core architecture used for the BIFROST mission launched in 2025 for Arctic surveillance. The platform will be equipped with specialized instruments for lunar science, navigation, and data acquisition in the challenging lunar environment, where extreme temperatures, radiation, and distance impose entirely new demands on robustness and autonomous onboard intelligence.
KOMPSAT-6 Mission...Launch Date Feb 2026
2026TBD - TBD - Maia (inaugural flight) - Kourou former ELS
U-Space selects MaiaSpace as the launcher for the mission TOUTATIS, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) demonstration entrusted by the Agence de l'innovation de défense.TOUTATIS deploys two nanosatellites, one “action” satellite and one “spotter” satellite, to test operational defence and space-surveillance scenarios in LEO.
Minister Delegate Alice Rufo visited TOUTATIS on site during the FID, highlighting the strategic importance of this project to be launched in orbit in 2027 on Maia’s maiden launch.
2028Midyear - ROSE-L-A (Sentinel-12A) - TBD - Kourou2030TBD - ROSE-L-B (Sentinel-12B) - TBD - Kourou
Launch Date: Jun 2029
Launch Date: Jun 2031
A structural model of the upcoming Copernicus Radar Observing System for Europe at L-band satellite, or ROSE-L for short, has recently been put through a series of demanding tests – including intense vibration – to demonstrate that the satellite will be able to withstand the stresses of launch and operations in orbit.
“With this phase complete, attention now shifts to the upcoming integration of the actual satellite. This will take place in the newly-inaugurated Space Smart Factory in Rome – a 5000-square-metre facility featuring modular ISO 8 cleanrooms, advanced manufacturing tools, and a modern digital infrastructure aimed at streamlining satellite integration and testing.”
...The launch contract originally intended for the third CSG satellite will now be used for the fourth satellite, he said, which is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2027.
2026TBD - Galileo-FOC FM28, Galileo-FOC FM31 [L15] - Ariane 62 - Kourou ELA-4TBD - Galileo-FOC FM33, Galileo-FOC FM34 [L16] - Ariane 62 - Kourou ELA-4
Quote[37:20] Launch 15 has been scheduled for "end of '26", Launch 16 "beginning of 2027", with contract for launch 18 already signed.
[37:20] Launch 15 has been scheduled for "end of '26", Launch 16 "beginning of 2027", with contract for launch 18 already signed.
Delayed to Early 2026.ESA Navigation at 2025 Ministerial Council [Nov. 19]QuoteESA will soon launch the first two Celeste (LEO-PNT) In-Orbit Demonstrator (IOD) satellites to showcase the benefits of low Earth orbit satellites for positioning, navigation and timing (LEO-PNT), adding a powerful new multi-layer dimension to Europe’s satellite navigation. The proposed Celeste (LEO-PNT) In-Orbit Preparatory phase will focus on:maturing enabling technology building blocks (for example, integrated digital and RF modules and antennas, miniaturised clocks),driving industrialisation across Europe to boost future production and reduce cost,validating technologies through in-orbit experimentation.The ultimate objective is to prepare a LEO-PNT future operational system for the European Union that adds a new layer to the European PNT ecosystem, with Galileo at its core.In parallel, the programme aims to open new commercial opportunities worldwide, ultimately boosting innovation and European leadership for future market opportunities.European satellite navigation opens new chapter at ESA’s Ministerial Council [Nov. 27]QuoteWhat comes next?The first two Celeste demonstrator satellites, scheduled to launch early next year, will secure and test the assigned frequencies during a six-month experimentation phase. Following a formal review of the results, ESA foresees to engage user communities and stakeholders in third-party experimentations to test the functionalities and demonstrate services capabilities in representative environments.Now that the funding for the preparatory phase has been secured, a dedicated Industry Day will be organised early next year to showcase the European PNT ecosystem, outline the new opportunities and present the ESA-EU coordinated roadmap. This will be followed by an invitation to tender for this phase’s industrial activities, focusing on the development of enabling technologies, industrialisation efforts, and the deployment of a set of in-orbit validation satellites.
ESA will soon launch the first two Celeste (LEO-PNT) In-Orbit Demonstrator (IOD) satellites to showcase the benefits of low Earth orbit satellites for positioning, navigation and timing (LEO-PNT), adding a powerful new multi-layer dimension to Europe’s satellite navigation. The proposed Celeste (LEO-PNT) In-Orbit Preparatory phase will focus on:maturing enabling technology building blocks (for example, integrated digital and RF modules and antennas, miniaturised clocks),driving industrialisation across Europe to boost future production and reduce cost,validating technologies through in-orbit experimentation.The ultimate objective is to prepare a LEO-PNT future operational system for the European Union that adds a new layer to the European PNT ecosystem, with Galileo at its core.In parallel, the programme aims to open new commercial opportunities worldwide, ultimately boosting innovation and European leadership for future market opportunities.
What comes next?The first two Celeste demonstrator satellites, scheduled to launch early next year, will secure and test the assigned frequencies during a six-month experimentation phase. Following a formal review of the results, ESA foresees to engage user communities and stakeholders in third-party experimentations to test the functionalities and demonstrate services capabilities in representative environments.Now that the funding for the preparatory phase has been secured, a dedicated Industry Day will be organised early next year to showcase the European PNT ecosystem, outline the new opportunities and present the ESA-EU coordinated roadmap. This will be followed by an invitation to tender for this phase’s industrial activities, focusing on the development of enabling technologies, industrialisation efforts, and the deployment of a set of in-orbit validation satellites.
The mission, named Leo Europe 1 (LE-01), will launch 32 satellites.https://twitter.com/Amazonleo/status/1998411080595354039?t=nJjXkSphzQe5DPnav4JG0w&s=19
