Spaceopal Celebrates 15 Years of Success in Milan

17 October 2024

Spaceopal, a joint venture between Telespazio and DLR-GfR, celebrated its first 15 years in business together with representatives of government, institutions and with its industrial partners and suppliers yesterday in Milan, during the 2024 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) week.

Founded in 2009, Spaceopal has become one of the world's leading operators of satellite navigation services, with end-to-end responsibility of the Galileo Service Operations.

Spaceopal has been an integral part of the Galileo programme since the early days, commencing in preparing and operating the system for in-orbit validation in 2010 with a contract overseen by the European Space Agency. In 2016, Spaceopal was awarded the Galileo Service Operator (GSOp) contract by the EU Space Programme Agency (EUSPA), further expanding its role to manage and oversee all key infrastructures and services for the Galileo satellite navigation system.

Since then, Spaceopal has been delivering reliable and highly accurate Galileo services in collaboration with its shareholders and European industrial partners. Simultaneously, the company has initiated new developments and is engaging in future navigation programs.

The CEO Marco Folino and the COO André Bauerhin, shared their insights on the significance of the Galileo navigation system for Europe and reflected on Spaceopal's journey and achievements in recent years.

"Over these 15 years of operating the Galileo system, we have gained profound insight into the complexities of satellite navigation. This solid foundation enables us to ensure Galileo’s stable and resilient performance. We are fully prepared and committed to tackling future challenges with determination and innovation. Backed by our unique expertise, we are confident that our contributions will continue to be essential in guaranteeing the excellence of future European navigation services and programs, while supporting the evolution of GNSS as it pushes toward new frontiers."

Marco Folino, CEO of Spaceopal

“It is the dedication and passion of our exceptional team that has made these outstanding achievements possible, and I am proud that we can celebrate this milestone together," “I am looking forward to the next 15 years enlarging our joint commitment to various European space programmes and applications”.

André Bauerhin, Spaceopal’s COO

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