BRUSSELS - The European Union (EU) will send two more satellites into space, bringing the total number of satellites in orbit to six, the EU said in a statement on Wednesday.

The launching action, under the EU's satellite navigation programme called Tomorrow Galileo, will take place at the European spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana.

These two satellites are the first of a new series which is fully owned by the EU. With the forthcoming addition of a new wave of such satellites to the existing array, the availability and coverage of the Galileo signal will gradually improve and move a step closer to the fully operational phase of the programme.

"It (The launch of these two satellites) gives new impetus to the Galileo programme, a truly European project which has built on EU countries' resources to maximise the benefits for EU citizens," European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship Ferdinando Nelli Feroci said in the statement

"Galileo operates at a technological frontier and provides applications with huge economic potential, supporting the EU objectives of growth and competitiveness," he added.

According to the EU, the improved positioning and timing information supplied by Galileo will have positive implications for many services and users in Europe, including transport systems, aviation industry and economic growth.

In 2013 the annual global market for global navigation satellite products and services was valued at 175 billion euros and it was expected to grow over the next years to an estimated 237 billion euros in 2020. Xinhua)