Monthly Archives: December 2016

[vid] Galileo initial services declaration

galileo-goes-liveAt a Thursday morning, Dec. 15, ceremony in Brussels titled “Galileo Goes Live,” two high officials of the European Commission issued the Galileo Initial Services Declaration.

The Declaration of Initial Services means that the Galileo satellites and ground infrastructure are now operationally ready. These signals will be highly accurate but not available all the time, since the constellation is not yet complete and users cannot always count on four satellites being visible at one time at all points on the Earth.

A series of notice advisory to Galileo users or NAGUs describe the flag status of each satellite. USABINIT NAGUs were issued for 11 satellites: 0101, 0102, 0103, 0203, 0204, 0205, 0206, 0208, 0209, 0210, and 0211. USABINIT, or Initially Usable, notifies users that a satellite is set healthy for the first time. 0104 had a power problem and is operating on E1 only. 0201 and 0202 were launched into lower orbits. 0207 and 0212-0214 are still undergoing commissioning and drifting to their designated orbital slots. Read more…

[vid] Galileo is ready to be used

With 18 Galileo satellites in orbit, supporting ground infrastructure, and after an extensive testing period, Galileo Initial Services are now available for public authorities, businesses and citizens. From now on, users around the world can be guided using the positioning, navigation and timing information provided by Galileo’s global satellite constellation. Read more…

[vid] The history of Galileo

The Galileo name first appeared in the Communication of the Commission from February 1999. Since then, the programme has been on its way towards full operational capacity. Eighteen satellites are already in orbit and a further 12 will be launched by 2020. The Financing Decisions for the programme were taken by the European Council in the early 2000s.

The definition phase, development, and In-Orbit Validation phase of the Galileo Programme were carried out by the European Space Agency (ESA) and co-funded by the ESA and the EU.

The Full Operational Capability phase of the Galileo Programme is fully funded by the EU and managed by the European Commission. The Commission and the ESA have signed a delegation agreement by which ESA acts as the design and procurement agent on behalf of the Commission.

 

Galileo Service Operator Contract (GSOp) signed

Galileo Control Centre - Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany

Galileo Control Centre – Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany

Following a lengthy and complex tendering process that started in January 2015, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) awarded the Galileo Service Operator (GSOp) contract, with a value of up to EUR 1.5 billion, to Spaceopal at a special event in Brussels. Spaceopal is a joint venture between the German Aerospace Agency (DLR) and Italy’s Telespazio.

“With its emphasis on service performance, this contract will shape the future of Galileo,” says GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides. “We look forward to building a strong partnership with Spaceopal as Galileo moves towards full operational capability under the responsibility of the GSA from January 2017.” Read more…

Galileo initial services available #GalileoGoesLive #MyGalileo

Europe’s own Galileo satellite navigation system has begun operating, with the satellites in space delivering positioning, navigation and timing information to users around the globe.

This animation shows how service availability increases as the overall number of satellites in the Galileo constellation goes up.

Today, the European Commission, owner of the system, formally announced the start of Galileo Initial Services, the first step towards full operational capability. Read more…

Galileo to Go Live on Thursday

Galileo Constellation

Europe’s Global satellite navigation system is all set to go live this Thursday. Seventeen years and more than 10 billion euros ($11 billion) later, Europe’s Galileo satnav system promises to outperform US and Russian rivals while boosting regional self-reliance. Initial services will be free to use worldwide on smartphones and navigation boxes fitted with Galileo-compatible microchips. Some devices may only need a software update to start using the new technology, as several smartphone companies were already making chips compatible with it.

At first the signals might be a little weak but will be boosted with help from satellites in the US military-run GPS system, and grow stronger over time as orbiters are added to the now 18-strong Galileo network orbiting 23,222 kilometres (14,430 miles) above Earth. Read more…

How to access raw GNSS measurements on smartphones

BQ Aquaris X5 PlusThe ability to access raw GNSS measurements opens up a range of opportunities for mobile app developers, but how do you access the data? During the first European GNSS Agency (GSA) Galileo Hackathon at the WhereCamp ‘unconference’ in Berlin Dr Lukasz Bonenberg from the University of Nottingham explained how app-developers can access raw GNSS measurements on smartphones via the latest release of the Android operating system.

The technical briefing for app-developers at the first GSA Hackathon at Beuth Hochschule für Technik in Berlin covered the latest developments and opportunities for GNSS and Location Based Services (LBS) including both hardware and software. Read more…