EU Ends Reliance on US, Russia with Key Satellite Launch

Europe has launched a critical navigation satellite on its own rocket for the first time in years. The EU's Galileo satellite was carried into space by the new Ariane 6 launcher. This mission marks a strategic shift for the European Union. For years, the bloc relied on rockets from the United States and, historically, Russia to send its Galileo satellites into orbit. Galileo is the EU's own global satellite navigation system, a rival to the American GPS. The successful launch demonstrates Europe's renewed ability to independently access space. It secures the EU's control over a key piece of its infrastructure.