The contracts for the first Galileo satellites were signed on Friday 11 July at ESTEC, the European Space Agency's research and technology centre.
The contracts are for two experimental satellites, forerunners of the system's in-orbit validation phase with one to be launched during the second semester of 2005, so as to secure the frequencies reserved for the Galileo system with the International Telecommunications Union; the signals have to be sent by June 2006 at the latest in order to retain the priority allocated when the frequencies were applied for.
One contract has been awarded to the British firm Surrey Space Technology Limited and a contract for another test satellite has also been placed with the consortium Galileo Industries.
This is the first rushes tape of two filmed at the event and features GV's of the meeting and soundbites.

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