| Galileo Positioning System |
Article Index for Galileo |
Website Links For Galileo |
Information AboutGalileo Positioning System |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT GALILEO POSITIONING SYSTEM | |
| space policy of the european union | |
| satellite navigation systems | |
| european space agency | |
| galileo galilei | |
| positioning system | |
|
The Galileo positioning system, referred to simply as '''Galileo''', is a planned , 2007 that, at the recommendation of Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot , the EU will take direct control of the Galileo project from the private sector. 1 Galileo is tasked with multiple objectives including the following: to provide a higher precision to all users than is currently available through GPS or GLONASS, to improve availability of positioning services at higher latitudes, and to provide an independent positioning system upon which Europe an nations can rely even in times of war or political disagreement. The current project plan has the system as operational by 2011–12, three or four years later than originally anticipated. It is named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei . The Galileo positioning system is referred to as "Galileo" instead of as the abbreviation "GPS" to distinguish it from the existing United States system. HISTORY The first stage of the Galileo programme was agreed upon officially on May 26 , 2003 by the European Union and the European Space Agency. In 1999, the different concepts (from Germany , France , Italy and the United Kingdom ) for Galileo were compared and reduced to one by a joint team of engineers from all four countries. The system is intended primarily for civilian use, unlike the United States system, which the U.S. Military runs and uses on a primary basis. The U.S. reserves the right to limit the signal strength or accuracy of the GPS systems, or to shut down public GPS access completely (although it has never done the latter), so that only the U.S. military and its allies would be able to use it in time of conflict. Until 2000, the precision of the signal available to non-U.S.-military users was limited (a timing pulse distortion process known as ''selective availability''). The European system will only be subject to shutdown for Military purposes in extreme circumstances (though it may still be Jammed by anyone with the right equipment), will provide a significant improvement to the signal available from GPS, and will, upon completion, be available at its full precision to all users, both Civil and Military . ]] The , European Union member states decided it was important to have their own independent satellite-based positioning and timing infrastructure. The European Union and the European Space Agency then agreed in March 2002 to fund the project, pending a review in 2003 (which was finalised on May 26 , 2003 ). The starting cost for the period ending in 2005 is estimated at € 1.1 billion. The required satellites—the planned number is 30 — will be launched throughout the period 2006–2010 and the system will be up and running and under civilian control from 2010. The final cost is estimated at €3 billion, including the infrastructure on Earth , which is to be constructed in the years 2006 and 2007. Private companies and investors will invest at least two-thirds of the cost of implementation; the EU and ESA will divide the remaining cost. An encrypted higher-bandwidth ''Commercial Service'' with improved accuracy will be available at an extra cost, while the base ''Open Service'' will be freely available to anyone with a Galileo-compatible Receiver . In June 2004, in a signed agreement with the United States, the European Union has agreed to switch to a range of frequencies known as "Binary Offset Carrier 1.1," which will allow both EU and US forces to block each other's signals in the battlefield without disabling the entire System . The European Union also agreed to address the "mutual concerns related to the protection of allied and U.S. national security capabilities." US-EU Agreement on Galileo Early 2007, the EU had yet to decide how to pay for the system and the project was said to be "in deep crisis" due to lack of more public funds "http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/05/08/galileo.troubles.ap/index.html EU: Galileo project in deep 'crisis' German Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee, was particularly doubtfull about the consortium ability to end the infighting at a time when only one of the 30 planned satellites had been successfully launched. Although a decision was yet to be reached, EU countries on Friday the 13th of July 2007 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19750947/ discussed cutting €548m ($755m, £370m) from the union's competitiveness budget for next year and shift some of that cash to other parts of the financing pot, a move that could meet part of the cost of the union's Galileo satellite navigation system. European Union research and development projects could be scrapped to overcome a funding shortfall for Europe's rival to the US GPS. INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT In September 2003, 2003 In July 2004, Israel signed an agreement with the EU to become a partner in the Galileo project. Press release On 3 June 2005 the EU and Ukraine signed an agreement for Ukraine to join the project, as noted in a press release. Press release On September 7 2005 , India signed an agreement to take part in the project and to establish a regional augmentation system based on the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). As of November 2005, Morocco and Saudi Arabia have also joined the programme. On January 12 2006 South Korea joined the programme. There is speculation that further countries might join the Galileo project, including Argentina , Australia , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Japan , Malaysia , Mexico , Norway , Pakistan and Russia . POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF GALILEO PROJECT A reason given for a independent system is that, though GPS is now widely used worldwide for civilian applications, it is a military system which as recently as 2000 had Selective Availability (SA) that could be enabled in particular areas of coverage during times of war, and therefore Galileo's proponents argue that civil infrastructure, including aeroplane navigation and landing, should not rely solely upon GPS. However, on May 1, 2000, the President of the United States signed an order disabling (SA), and in late 2001, the entity managing GPS confirmed that the intent is to never re-enable selective availability. ''Selective Availability'' . Retrieved Aug 31, 2007. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION and ESA ]] Galileo satellites
Services There will be four different navigation services available:
In addition, the Galileo satellites will be able to detect and report signals from Cospas-Sarsat search-and-rescue Beacon s in the 406.0–406.1 MHz band, which makes them a part of the Global Maritime Distress Safety System . GALILEO SATELLITE TEST BEDS In 2004 the Galileo System Test Bed Version 1 (GSTB-V1) project validated the on-ground algorithms for Orbit Determination and Time Synchronization (OD&TS). This project, led by ESA and European Satellite Navigation Industries , has provided industry with fundamental knowledge to develop the mission segment of the Galileo Positioning System . Galileo System Test Bed Version 1 experimentation is now complete , ESA News release, 7 January 2005 The European Space Agency and the Galileo Joint Undertaking successfully launched the first Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element test satellite, GIOVE-A , on 28 December 2005 . GIOVE-A was built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL). Operation of GIOVE-A ensured that Galileo meets the frequency-filing allocation and reservation requirements for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a process that was required to be complete by June of 2006. GIOVE-B , built by European Satellite Navigation Industries , has a more advanced payload than GIOVE-A. After technical problems were encountered, GIOVE-B is now targeted for launch at end of 2007. GIOVE-A2 to secure the Galileo programme , ESA News release, 5 March 2007 The GIOVE-A2 satellite, to be built by SSTL, will be ready for launch in the second half of 2008, to ensure continuous reservation of Galileo frequency use with the ITU. GIOVE-A2 to secure the Galileo programme , ESA News release, 5 March 2007 These testbed satellites will be followed by four In-Orbit Validation (IOV) Galileo satellites that will be much closer to the final Galileo positioning satellite design. From mid-2006, the satellite to provide experimental results based on real data to be used for risk mitigation for the IOV satellites that will follow on from the testbeds. The GIOVE Mission will also provide experimentation results based on GIOVE-B and GIOVE-A2 satellites. It is operated by ESA and European Satellite Navigation Industries . The next scheduled launch time for one of the test satellites is from 29th December 2007 to end of March 2008. SCIENCE PROJECTS USING GALILEO In July 2006, an international consortium of universities and research institutions embarked on a study of potential scientific applications of the Galileo constellation. This project, dubbed GEO6 , is a 360-degree study oriented to the scientific community in its broader sense, aiming to define and implement new applications of Galileo. Among the various GNSS users identified by the Galileo Joint Undertaking , the GEO6 project addresses the Scientific User Community (UC). The GEO6 project aims at fostering possible novel applications within the scientific UC of GNSS signals, and particularly of Galileo. On the basis of the potential number of users, potential revenues for Galileo Operating Company or Concessionaire (GOC), international relevance, and level of innovation, a set of Priority Applications (PA) will be selected by the consortium and they will be developed within the time frame of the same Project. These applications will help to increase and optimize the use of the EGNOS services as well as the opportunities offered by the Galileo Signal Test-Bed (GSTB-V2) and the Galileo (IOV) phase. SEE ALSO
NOTES AND REFERENCES
FURTHER READING
EXTERNAL LINKS
Press coverage
|
|
|