Galileo, Europe's Navigation System
Galileo is the European Union's satellite navigation system — and the only major one under civilian rather than military control. It flies slightly higher than GPS, and AstroSat tracks the whole constellation live.
The numbers right now
As of August 3, 2026, AstroSat is tracking 32 satellites in this constellation — about 0.2% of every active satellite currently tracked, out of 18,436 active satellites in total.
This is a live catalogue count, not a fixed design figure: it includes retired and spare satellites that are still in orbit and still being tracked, which is why it can differ from the “official” constellation size. Refreshed automatically from Space-Track every two hours.
What makes Galileo different
Civilian by design
GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou all grew out of military programmes. Galileo was built as a civil system under civilian control, which was much of the political argument for building it at all.
Higher than GPS
Galileo orbits at about 23,222 km against GPS's 20,200 km, with a period near 14 hours 7 minutes across three orbital planes inclined 56°.
Free precision
Galileo's Open Service is free to anyone and was designed for metre-level accuracy — better than the free GPS signal for most receivers that use both.
It answers distress calls
Galileo satellites carry search-and-rescue payloads that relay emergency beacons, and can send an acknowledgement back to the beacon confirming the signal was received.
Galileo reached initial services in 2016 and full constellation strength in the years after, with more satellites launched since as replacements and spares. Its real value today is not replacing GPS but adding to it: a phone that hears both systems has far more satellites in view, which matters most in cities, where buildings block much of the sky and a single constellation can leave you with too few satellites for a good fix. The naming is a small trap for catalogue searches — Galileo satellites are catalogued as GSAT followed by four digits, while India's unrelated GSAT communications satellites use the same prefix with fewer digits. AstroSat matches on the full pattern so the two do not get mixed up, which is a mistake plenty of satellite lists make.
Frequently asked questions
How many Galileo satellites are there?
The constellation is designed around 24 operational satellites plus spares. The live count on this page shows every Galileo satellite currently carrying a fresh orbital element set.
Is Galileo better than GPS?
Neither replaces the other. Galileo's free Open Service was designed for better accuracy than the free GPS signal, but the real gain is using both at once — more satellites in view means a faster, steadier fix, especially in cities.
Does my phone use Galileo?
Almost certainly, if it was made in the last several years. Most modern receivers combine GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou automatically without telling you which is in use.
How high do Galileo satellites orbit?
About 23,222 km, in medium Earth orbit — around 3,000 km higher than GPS.