Monthly Archives: October 2014

Galileo Module for ARA Platform, by Deimos Space

The 2014 edition of the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) received a record number of entries and the European GNSS Agency (GSA) Special Prize was the most popular category receiving a total of 152 submissions. The GSA 2014 special prize went to elecnor deimos/Deimos Space for their Galileo for ARA project. Read more…

European Satellite Navigation Competition 2014 winner

Network-based receiver for initial Galileo service presented by Airbus Defence & Space Innovation wins European Satellite Navigation Competition 2014 (www.esnc.eu).

The European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC), which rewards the best services, products, and business cases that use satellite navigation in everyday life, has recently announced the 2014 winner. Read more…

Galileo Service Provision Delegated to GSA

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) and the European Commission concluded an agreement delegating a range of exploitation tasks for Galileo to the GSA. Serving as an initial step towards the full Galileo Exploitation Phase, the Agreement provides a framework and budget for the development of services and operations through 2021.

Specifically, according to the Agreement, the GSA’s responsibilities include: Read more…

Galileo FOC FM1 and FM2 handed over

A pair of fully functioning Galileo navigation satellites was recently delivered to its operators, as preparations get underway for the next round of launches.

On 27–28 September, the two satellites launched on 22 August were handed over from ESA’s Space Operations Centre, ESOC, in Darmstadt, Germany, to the Galileo Control Centre, Oberpfaffenhofen, which will care for them pending a final decision on their use. Read more…

Independent Inquiry Board Conclusions on 22-Aug. FOC Galileo launch

The Independent Inquiry Board formed to analyze the causes of the anomaly occurring during the orbital injection of satellites in the Galileo constellation by a Soyuz rocket launched from the Guiana Space Center on August 22 announced its definitive conclusions on Tuesday, October 7, 2014 following a meeting at Arianespace headquarters in Evry, near Paris. Read more…

Galileo FOC satellites launch failure conclusions

On Aug. 22 the first two Galileo FOC satellites launched by Soyuz-STB Fregat-MT rocket were placed into the wrong orbit (https://galileognss.eu/galileo-foc-fm1-and-fm2-status-update/). European government officials said that the hydrazine fuel line was installed too close to a supercold helium line on the Fregat upper stage.

The installation caused the hydrazine to freeze long enough to upset the Fregat stage’s orientation and cause the two satellites’ release into an orbit that is both too low and in the wrong inclination, officials said. Read more…

The GSC, GNSS Service Centre

The GNSS Service Centre (GSC), based within Madrid’s National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA), is an integral part of the European GNSS infrastructure. Inaugurated in 2013, it is responsible for providing the single interface between the Galileo system and the users of the Galileo Open Service (OS) and the Galileo Commercial Service (CS). Read more…