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GSAT0221 (GALILEO 25)

European Navigation Satellite (Galileo) · ESA / European Commission

GSAT0221 (Galileo 25), launched July 2018, is part of yet another four-satellite Galileo launch continuing the constellation's rapid final build-out. By mid-2018 Galileo had grown dense enough that European aviation, maritime, and precision agriculture industries had begun formally integrating it as a primary — not backup — positioning source for safety-critical applications. Galileo's Search and Rescue payload, standard on every satellite including this one, had by 2018 already been credited with helping locate stranded sailors and downed aircraft across European waters and airspace, a quieter but genuinely life-saving side of the navigation program.