The European Commission has awarded key contracts for Europe’s ambitious and long-delayed satellite-navigation system, Galileo.

Germany’s OHB System secured €566 million (£505m) to build the first 14 satellites for the network, which is intended to rival the US Global Positioning System. Arianespace, of France, got a €397 million (£355m) contract to launch these spacecraft on Soyuz rockets.

“We are concluding a critical phase of the Galileo programme,” says Antonio Tajani, European Commission Vice-President in charge of Transport (press release). “We can now focus on the actual roll-out and demonstrate to European citizens that Europe’s own satellite navigation system is firmly underway.”

The network is scheduled to begin operations in early 2014; contracts remain to be awarded for at least eight further satellites and for ground-control operations.

Image: the proposed constellation of Galileo satellites / ESA