The first satellite that will be part of Europe’s Galileo global satellite navigation system has been transferred to the Netherlands for testing. The European Space Agency announced that one of the two Galileo satellites currently under development, the GSTB-V2/A, arrived at the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, to undergo pre-launch tests.

The GSTB-V2/A is a three-axis stabilized satellite measuring 1.3 meters by 1.8 meters by 1.65 meters and has a launch mass of about 600 kilograms.

The other satellite, GSTB-V2/B, is being assembled and tested by Alenia Spazio in Rome and is scheduled to arrive at ESTEC in fall for testing. The first Galileo launch is scheduled for December.