Galileo Update

Third Galileo satellite begins transmitting navigation signal

Europe’s third Galileo satellite has transmitted its first test navigation signals back to earth. The two Galileo satellites launched last October have reached their final orbital position and are in the midst of testing.

The third Galileo Flight Model, known as FM3, transmitted its fi rst test navigation signal in the E1 band on 1 December, the band being used for Galileo’s freely available Open Service interoperable with GPS. Then, on the morning of 4 December, the satellite broadcast signals across all three Galileo bands – E1, E5 and E6. ESA

2012 European Satellite Navigation Competition Results

This is the ninth year for the European Satellite Navigation Competition, which has grown from a Europe-only affair to an international competition with more than 400 submissions for GNSS applications ideas. The 2012 Galileo Master award was won by Portuguese team who use ULFMC for wayfi nding where GNSS can’t go.

Finding your way indoors will be even easier with a new smartphone app from two Portuguese research institutes that augments GNSS with positioning using ultra-low magnetic fi eld communication (ULF-MC).

Fraunhofer Portugal and the University of Porto’s Faculty of Engineering received the €20,000 Galileo Master’s prize for their innovation in this year’s European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC 2012) awards. The ULF-MC application was the overall winner from among 406 completed entries (the most ever) submitted from more than 40 countries.

A panel of expert judges selected the Galileo Master from among the 24 winners in ESNC competitions held by regional partners. The ESNC is sponsored by the European GNSS Agency (GSA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Commission, the Free State of Bavaria, and the German Space Center (DLR}. The competition is organized by Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO), a Bavarian economic development and business incubation center.

EGNOS goes live at Milan Linate

Milan Linate airport has become the fi rst in Italy to provide satellitebased EGNOS navigation services to all operators at no cost. Other Italian airports are scheduled to soon follow in 2013 in line with Italy’s national Performance Based Navigation implementation plan. EGNOS approach procedures offer enhanced vertical guidance improving safety, accessibility and effi ciency to operators, pilots and airports and also provide a cost effective alternative to ILS CAT I as they offer similar performance without the need for infrastructure installation and maintenance. www.airtraffi cmanagement.net/2012/12/ egnos-goes-live-at-milan-linate/