EU agrees on Galileo satellite navigation system

The member states of the European Union have reached agreement on the further funding and administration of the Galileo satellite navigation system. They decided to finance the requisite 2.4 billion euro out of the European Union budget, with unspent agricultural subsidies accounting for some 1.6 billion euro of that amount. They opted to devote public funding to the project because the consortium of companies committed to it failed to reach agreement on the sharing of private funding between the parties. Galileo satellite navigation system (photo: ESA)

What is Galileo?

The Galileo satellite navigation system is a European civilian alternative to the United States’ GPS and the Russians’ GLONASS systems, which are financed and supervised by those countries’ military authorities. Anyone with a satellite positioning device can locate his position very precisely with the aid satellite signals. The construction of the system has been said to be the biggest industrial project in European history, carried out jointly by both the public and private sectors. The European Commission presented its idea of Galileo in as early as 1999. When complete, the satellite navigation system will consist of thirty satellites and is designed for civilian and commercial use in particular.

The consortium founded in 2001 to fund and administer the development of Galileo (The Galileo Joint Undertaking GJU) was set up by the European Commission and the European Space Agency. The European Investment Bank and private companies were invited to join later. In 2005, a consortium of two companies, Eurely and iNavSat, was chosen to implement the Galileo system in practice. The activity of the consortium is supervised by the European Commission. The French city of Toulouse is Galileo’s administrative centre, whilst the system’s operational headquarters is in London. Centres supervising the technical operation of the system are being established in Germany, Italy and Spain.

What can the Galileo satellite navigation system be used for?

 

Galileo (Photo: ESA) The satellite navigation system can be used in many ways (Photo: ESA)

It is estimated that Galileo will be in use at the latest in 2014. At present, one of the thirty satellites has already been launched into orbit around the earth. Upon completion, it will be possible to use the satellite navigation system for a variety of purposes, such as determining the location data of vehicles, searching for transport routes, speed control and in transport control systems on land, at sea and in the air. In the social services sector, the system can be of benefit, inter alia, for developing services for the elderly. The system can also be of vital use in customs and border supervision and in search and rescue services. It can also be harnessed in the development of geographical information systems, and in leisure applications, too. Even though, as it stands, Galileo is not actually designed for military use, it can also be employed in future to meet the needs of the European security and defence authorities.

The services of the Galileo satellite navigation system will cover the entire globe, including areas that are hardest to reach. China, Israel, India and Ukraine have already agreed on co-operation with the Galileo programme. Morocco, South Korea, Norway, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico and Russia are also negotiating co-operation. The European Union and the United States reached agreement on the compatibility of Galileo and GPS in 2004. The agreement will be used to create a global standard for satellite signals, guaranteeing the consumer the option of using the services of both systems.

Text: Risto Alatarvas, Regional Information Officer, Europe Information, South Savo Region

Photos: ESA: European Space Agency

More information about Galileo:

EU Commission
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ESA: European Space Agency
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Galileo Joint Undertaking(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)