SpaceX has signed a deal to launch up to four of Europe’s flagship navigation satellites into orbit, reinforcing the Elon Musk-led company’s growing foothold in the region as local rivals struggle to get rockets off the ground.
SpaceX and the European Space Agency recently signed an agreement for two launches next year, each carrying two Galileo satellites, said Javier Benedicto, the agency’s director of navigation. The European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, along with EU member states, must still give final approval for the deal. That is likely to happen before the end of the year, officials said.
The agreement calls for the satellites to be launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from the U.S., Benedicto said. SpaceX didn’t respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for the European Commission said it is “taking all necessary steps to ensure that the Galileo constellation continues to provide outstanding services in the coming months and years.”
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