On 1st May 2010, the idea database for application innovations in satellite navigation will be opened for the seventh time. Participation in the European Satellite Navigation Competition is your chance to play a part in shaping the dynamic, growing market for navigation applications and to win prizes worth EUR 500,000.

20 partner regions across the globe …

Key European Industry and University representatives rallied in Brussels to stress their deep concerns with regard to the future of GNSS Research in Europe and to celebrate the launch of a Manifesto for “a More Committed Europe towards the Development of GNSS Applications”.
Funding originally allocated within the EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to support GNSS …

Galileo Application Days, 3-5 March, kicks off the competition with a conference and an ‘Application Village’, where demonstrations will occur. The annual ESNC competition, or ‘Galileo Masters’ as it is also known, is designed to stimulate commercial applications using Europe’s satellite navigation programmes. The event is being organised by the GSA, and the Application Centre …

The Director of the Galileo Programme and Navigation related activities, Mr René  Oosterlinck, and the CEO of OHB-System AG, Berry Smutny, signed the contract for the development and construction of 14 Galileo satellites. These signatures implement the decision made by the European Commission to nominate OHB-System as prime contractor for the 1st 14 satellites.
With a …

Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace, and René Oosterlinck, Director of the Galileo Program and Navigation-related Activities at the ESA, signed the launch contract for the first ten FOC (Full Operational Capability) satellites in Europe’s planned Galileo satellite positioning system at ESTEC (European Space Research & Technology Centre) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The …

Inauguration of Galileo station at Kourou
The site of a ground station for Galileo inside the Guiana Space Centre (CSG), near Kourou in French Guiana, has been inaugurated. The site, which was made available by France’s Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), will play an essential role in the setting up of the Galileo system, since it will accommodate the most comprehensive of the Galileo ground segment stations. The Kourou station will consist of a telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) station to monitor and control the Galileo constellation satellites, a sensor station (GSS) for acquisition of the satellite navigation signals, and two uplink stations (ULS) for transmission of navigation and integrity messages to the satellites. In all, the Galileo ground segment for the in-orbit validation phase (IOV) will comprise 18 sensor stations,

First Galileo satellite repositioned
Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL), UK, has completed the repositioning of the first Galileo test satellite, GIOVE-A, to a higher orbit to make way for the operational satellites of Europe’s satellite navigation constellation. From the GIOVE-A operational headquarters, the operating team executed a series of precisely planned manoeuvres during July and August that have repositioned the satellite 113km above the orbit that the 27 operational Galileo navigation satellites will occupy. www.sstl.co.uk

EU’s satellite system to fi ne-tune GPS
The European Union launched a free satellite navigation network that could help pilots, drivers and blind people by fi ne-tuning the accuracy of the US GPS to around 2 meters. The EGNOS system will use three satellites and 34 ground stations to narrow the horizontal accuracy of GPS from around 7 meters previously and improve its vertical accuracy to help pilots during landings. Farmers could also benefi t from improved precision for spraying fertilizers, and new applications could emerge on roads, such as automatic tolling and pay-per-use car insurance. The system was pioneered by the Commission, the European Space Agency and aviation safety authority Eurocontrol. www.reuters.com

Testing Galileo applications for rail transportation
In the future, trains are to be equipped with systems that work with positioning information that is provided by satellite. This will be made possible by “Galileo”, which is to be simulated from 2010 onwards at the rolling stock Test and Validation Centre operated by Siemens Mobility in Wegberg- Wildenrath, Germany. A test area for satellitebased navigation for rail systems is already being set up there which will enable tests to be carried out under real conditions before the Galileo system actually goes into operation. By doing so, Siemens is supporting the futureoriented “railGATE” project that is being conducted by RWTH Aachen University and sponsored by the space agency of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) with funds provided by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). With testing slated to begin in 2010, Galileo is due to enter operation in 2013. www.siemens.com

Telespazio takes control of Galileo Ground Facility
Telespazio has taken over management of a Galileo satellite constellation control centre. The company will begin cabling the entire structure as well as installing and integrating required systems and equipment for the satellite constellation and mission. Telespazio said its work will begin on the areas dedicated to security, navigation signal generation systems, orbital management and atomic clocks. The control centre is expected to be fully operational and will be inaugurated this fall. www.telespazio.it