11/12/2015 (Agence Europe) -Galileo to expand. On Thursday 17 December, the eleventh and twelfth Galileo satellite navigation satellites will be sent into orbit on a Soyuz rocket, the third launch this year and the sixth in total since the very first launch ten years ago almost to the day (27 December 2005). The number of satellites that might be sent into space may double in 2016, thanks to an improved version of the Ariane 5 launcher. Giuliano Gatti, head of the Galileo department at the European Space Agency (ESA), more than a third of the constellation will be deployed in orbit, enabling the first services to be provided before the end of 2016. (PH)