Europe Enhance Satellite Navigation with GEO-3 Integration into EGNOS Operational Network

Brussels, 2 September 2025 – The European Commission, in its role as the Programme Manager of the EU Space Programme, has announced a major enhancement to Europe’s regional satellite-based augmentation system, EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service). As part of the EGNOS System Release 2.4.3, the GEO-3 satellite—Eutelsat 5 West B (PRN 121)—officially transitioned from test status to full operational mode on 25 August 2025, now broadcasting the EGNOS Signal-in-Space (SiS).

The deployment, initiated in August 2025, is explicitly designed to reinforce service reliability and lay the groundwork for the next evolutionary phase of EGNOS—EGNOS V3.

Looking ahead, a “GEO swap” process is scheduled for 5 September 2025, whereby GEO-2 (ASTRA 5-B, PRN 123) will shift from its current operational status to the test platform, broadcasting the Test SiS, while GEO-3 and GEO-1 remain in the operational fleet. This space-segment reconfiguration does not affect the continuity of EGNOS services across the coverage area.

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), as the operational agency, is managing the integration, maintenance, and service provision of the upgraded configuration, reinforcing EGNOS’s robustness—especially for safety-critical applications such as aviation.

Context & Implications

EGNOS, which enhances the accuracy and integrity of GPS positioning, has been instrumental since its certification for civil aviation use in 2011. It supports precision approaches, enabling safer landings under adverse weather or low-visibility conditions, especially at regional and smaller airports.

Now, with GEO-3 fully operational, Europe’s satellite navigation infrastructure gains a critical redundancy boost. This improves resilience and elevates the system's preparedness for future expansion. The upcoming EGNOS V3 platform promises even more transformative capabilities: dual-frequency operation, multi-constellation support (including Galileo), enhanced performance, and greater robustness.

In particular, EGNOS V3 is expected to support the SBAS standard L1/L5, offer improved availability even at the edges of European coverage (such as distant regions like Iceland), and extend service integrity with potential anti-spoofing features currently under development.

Why This Matters

• Safety First: The seamless GEO-swap preserves uninterrupted service for aviation, maritime, rail, agriculture, and other sectors relying on precise positioning.

• Infrastructure Resilience: Operationalizing GEO-3 alongside GEO-1 enhances redundancy and availability, making the system less vulnerable to individual satellite issues.

• Future-Ready Design: Laying the foundation for EGNOS V3 ensures compatibility with modern GNSS constellations and higher-frequency bands, aligning Europe with next-gen navigation standards.

• Strategic Autonomy: Strengthening EGNOS underlines Europe's commitment to maintaining sovereignty in satellite navigation—bolstering both civilian and professional use cases.

Quotes from Officials

• Arlen Kassighian, Chief Engineering Officer of Eutelsat, remarked:
  “We are delighted to host this payload, which will continue to significantly enhance the performance of global navigation satellite systems across Europe in the coming years.”

• Jean-Marc Pieplu, Head of the EGNOS Exploitation Department at EUSPA, commented that the 2.4.3 system release is “an important step towards the upcoming EGNOS V3, which will bring enhanced performance, robustness, and dual-frequency multi-constellation capabilities to European satellite navigation services.”

With this upgrade, Europe reinforces EGNOS at the heart of its navigation ecosystem—maintaining seamless service now and enabling the next era of robust, multi-constellation positioning solutions in the near future.