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GSAT0103 (GALILEO-FM3)
European Navigation Satellite (Galileo) · ESA / European Commission
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GSAT0103 (Galileo-FM3), launched October 2012, completed Galileo's four-satellite In-Orbit Validation phase — the minimum constellation size needed to actually calculate a 3D position fix using only European satellites for the first time in history. Reaching four operational Galileo satellites was a genuine milestone: proof that Europe's sovereignty-driven navigation program could deliver real positioning capability, not just orbit satellites. Reaching four operational satellites let European engineers run the first genuine end-to-end positioning tests using only Galileo signals, formally proving the system's core technical concept nearly three years after the very first satellite reached orbit.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Medium Earth Orbita high vantage point, ideal for navigation
- Altitude
- 14,431–14,437 mi (23,224–23,235 km)
- Inclination
- 55.9°
- One orbit
- 14.1 hours1.7 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 38857
- Int’l designator
- 2012-055A
- Launched
- 2012
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 21 Sep 2026.
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