Galileo Update

Galileo test environment open for business

The Galileo Test and Development Environment (GATE) in Berchtesgaden, Germany, officially opened on February 4. The system operator, IFEN GmbH of Poing, Germany, jointly with the German Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Development, announced the opening for use by commercial and organizational entities seeking to test equipment with the coming Galileo signals. GATE was developed on behalf of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) with funding by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The test area extends across a valley of approximately 65 square kilometers, south-east of Munich, where antennae atop surrounding peaks broadcast the various Galileo signals. Technical details and specifications of the test environment are at

www.gate-testbed.com.

Czech firms to profit from Galileo seat transfer to Prague

Czech firms will benefit from moving of the headquarters of the Galileo Supervisory Authority (GSA) to Prague, GSA head Carlo des Dorides of Italy told journalists. Czech firms may, for instance, take part in the development of signal receivers or applications for the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), he said during his first day at the GSA headquarters in Prague. Transport Minister Vit Barta said the GSA transfer to the Czech Republic may be a great advantage to maintain competitiveness. A space programme, just like nanotechnologies, is a promising area, he said. The concrete plan for the moving of 50 GSA staff from Brussels to Prague may be available in around three months, according to Barta. He said he also expected signing a host agreement during this time.

Czech News Agency (ČTK)

ESA conducts Europewide Galileo satellite launch dress rehearsal

Europe’s GNSS system is still six months away from first launch of its in-orbit validation (IOV) spacecraft, but one Galileo satellite has already been put through its paces, taking center stage in a Europe-wide exercise conducted recently by the European Space Agency (ESA). The satellite in question never left the confines of its Thales Alenia Space (TAS) integration facility in Rome, Italy, but was connected to a distant trio of control centers during the nine-day System Compatibility Test Campaign (SCTC-1), which began on January 25. These same sites will oversee the satellite for real following its launch this August on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, along with a second Galileo satellite. Despite their name and test demonstration role, the IOV satellites will become part of the full operational capability (FOC) constellation of 27 satellites plus three on-orbit spares.