With 12 October's launch of Soyuz from Europe's Spaceport there are now four operational Galileo satellites in Space which allows for the so-called In Orbit Validation of the Galileo system.
Four satellites are the minimum needed to provide basic navigational services, but it will take many more to provide global coverage.

However there is one place in Europe where full Galileo service coverage is already a reality: in the Bavarian Alps with the Galileo Test and Development Environment (GATE).
This "Galileo" valley is a giant outdoor laboratory where prototype Galileo receivers can be used freely outdoors without any modifications.
This test area helps preparing the future design of the next generations of global satellite navigation systems in Europe.

This story shows helicopter tests in the Alps and explains how ESA envisages the evolution of EGNOS and Galileo.