Galileo sat-nav contest gets underway
An industry group is attempting to drum up interest in the European Galileo satellite positioning system with a contest featuring £435,000 in prizes. The 2010 Competition looks to kick-start commercial exploitation of the Galileo system and has a large prize pot to get businesses interested. Winners from each country participating in the contest will also be entered for the Galileo Masters Prize, which promises an additional £17,000 to the business with the best idea.
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Galileo satellite engineering model testing
The Engineering Model of the Galileo In- Orbit Verification satellites has completed several phases of testing in cooperation with the ground segment and is now being prepared for electromagnetic compatibility testing. The second in a series of System Validation Tests (SVT-0B1) has been executed from the Galileo Launch and Early Orbit Phase Operations Control Centre at CNES in Toulouse, France. A number of important tests were performed on the platform subsystems, including Attitude and Orbit Control System mode transitions, power subsystem and transponder functional tests and onboard computer tests. The purpose of an SVT is to verify the ground infrastructure needed to operate the satellite during its mission, including the flight operations procedures. Following completion of the SVT-0B1 tests, the Engineering Model (EM) satellite has been placed in its final, closed-panel configuration and transferred to the electromagnetic test chamber at Thales Alenia’s facility in Rome. Here, the Integrated Satellite Test (IST) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing will be performed after a period of test development.
www.esa.int
All four IOV platforms together for the first time
While the engineering model is undergoing testing, all four platforms for the Galileo In- Orbit Verification satellites have now arrived in the integration cleanroom at Thales Alenia Space in Rome. The first platform, for the proto-flight satellite, is fully assembled and is undergoing its final functional tests. Upon delivery of the payload, the two elements will be mated before undergoing a series of environmental tests. Flight Model 2 is completing its avionics function tests and being prepared for integration of the power subsystems. The avionics units are being mechanically and electrically integrated on FM3. The platform is now ready for the functional test. FM4 arrived in Rome in March and is having its harness installed and instrumentation integrated.
www.esa.int
EU`s Satellite Navigation Coordinator visits Taiwan
Michel Bosco, the European Commission`s GNSS Coordinator for Applications, was in Taiwan to take part in the 2010 Galileo Executive Forum. Bosco called upon Taiwan high-technology companies including MediaTek Inc., SkyTraq Technology Inc., Garmin Corp., and Quanta Computer Inc. to discuss possible cooperation opportunities. The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) estimated that Taiwanese companies are expected to win US$20 billion in business opportunities in the Galileo satellite system in the initial stage if all goes as planned.
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