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Rodrigo da Costa

Rodrigo da Costa

Executive Director, EUSPA

Appears in 1 story

Stories

Ariane 6 puts Galileo spares in orbit—Europe tightens its grip on its own “GPS”

New Capabilities

Mandate extended; responsible for Galileo service delivery and continuity

VA266 didn’t just lift off—ESA has now formally declared the mission successful after acquisition of signal, confirming Galileo SAT 33 and SAT 34 are healthy with their solar arrays deployed. That shifts the story from launch drama to operations: early-orbit checks and in-orbit testing, then a slow drift toward Galileo’s 23,222 km operational regime.

Updated Dec 20, 2025