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EU court backs ESA on excluding OHB in Galileo contract

Marco Fuchs, CEO of OHB. Photo: OHB

Luxembourg, 27 May 2021. – The European Court of Justice rejected a request by OHB System to suspend a decision by the European Space Agency (ESA) to exclude the German satellite company from a Galileo public contract, which went to its rivals Airbus and Thales Alenia Space, Reuters and other newswires reported.

The Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice also dismissed OHB’s application for interim relief, the reports said.

OHB took its grievance to the Court in January this year after it lost out on the Galileo transition satellite contract, saying that Airbus had recruited one of its executives who had played a decisive role in helping the planemaker prepare its offer, Reuters said.

The Court had issued a preliminary ruling in January, suspending ESA’s decision; it made its final decision on Wednesday after hearing the European Commission’s plea, Reuters wrote.

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