Galileo Update

EUR 1 million in prizes beckons innovators using satellite navigation systems

The ESNC is once again inviting entrepreneurs from research and industry to present value-added business applications for the emerging satellite navigation market. The current market for satellite services – such as for mobility, health, or safety – is already worth more than EUR 100 billion, and is expected to rise to EUR 240 billion by 2020. The ESNC supports participating innovators in realising their applications and business cases through an extensive partner network that covers the technical, economical, and legal aspects involved.

In this edition of the competition, participants can choose between more than 20 partner regions worldwide. Each partner will award a prize designed to support its regional winner’s business case. In 2013, the ESNC is welcoming Flanders/Belgium, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, North Rhine-Westphalia/ Germany, and Norway as new partner regions. www.galileo-masters.eu

Six Czech firms cooperate on applications for Galileo

Six domestic companies and scienti c workplaces cooperate on projects using the signal from European satellite navigation system Galileo, the Transport Ministry, the umbrella institution for space activities in the Czech Republic, said. Among the results of these activities are less expensive satellite units for toll collection from lorries on which the Czech Technical University (CVUT) in Prague cooperates. The Institute for Atmospheric Physics of the Academy of Sciences takes part in the development of a receiver for Galileo’s satellite signal. http://praguemonitor.com/

Real-time PPP with Galileo Demonstrated by Fugro

Fugro Seastar AS has been looking forward to demonstrating Real-Time Precise Point Positioning (PPP) based solely on Galileo signals since the last two satellites were launched October 12. Those two satellites brought the constellation to a total of four satellites, the minimum required to permit calculation of a Galileo-only position.

President Barroso visits the European GSA in Prague

The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso visited the headquarters of the GNSS Agency (GSA) in Prague. “With the European GNSS Agency, Prague has become one of the hubs for all those who are engaged within the space industry across Europe and in the Czech Republic.” – He said. “Galileo is a strategic project to ensure the European Union’s independence in space technology and policy, a sector of major importance for the competitiveness of our industry and that has also become critical for the well-being of our citizens.” www.investineu.com

STMicroelectronics chip performs Galileo system test

STMicroelectronics Teseo II singlechip satellite-tracking ICs performed successfully in the  rst ground location test using Galileo. The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted the tests at their technology center in the Netherlands, and ST collaborated from its GNSS software development labs in Italy. www.satellitetoday.com