Author Archives: Galileo GNSS

GSA and Thales launch the EDG²E project to further optimise aviation navigation with Galileo

GSA and Thales launch the EDG²E projectThe GSA has officially launched the EDG²E project (Equipment for Dual frequency Galileo GPS and EGNOS) with a consortium led by Thales. This four-year project intends to develop a dual-frequency multi-constellation receiver, enabling enhanced navigation capabilities, support standardisation and certification preparation. The consortium includes Thales, Thales Alenia Space and ATR, as well as contributions from Dassault Aviation and the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC).

The GNSS receiver is the cornerstone of aircraft navigation systems. The system processes signals from satellite constellations and the Space Based Augmentation System (SBAS) to accurately determine aircraft position, altitude and velocity. The prototype receiver developed under the auspices of the EDG²E project will use signals from US GPS and European Galileo positioning systems, as well as from SBAS multi-constellation EGNOS. The project aims to achieve a prototype demonstration by 2021. The prototype receiver performance will be evaluated during a flight test campaign performed by ATR using one of the company’s test aircraft. Read more…

u‑blox and Galileo – advancing accuracy over 20 years

Two decades after it was first conceived, the Galileo global navigation satellite system is raining down its signals across the globe. u‑blox, one of the few European‑based manufacturers of GNSS receiver chips, also twenty years old this year, has been closely keeping apace with Galileo’s development through their joint history.

Galileo_sat_constallation

But first, why yet another GNSS constellation? What does Galileo offer that GPS, GLONASS, and BEIDOU didn’t provide? Read more…

Building Ariane 6 mobile gantry at Europe’s spaceport

Ariane 6 launch zone

Ariane 6 launch zone

The first structural element of the mobile gantry that will house and protect Ariane 6 before launch has been assembled.

The mobile gantry is a 90 m-high, nine-storey structure weighing 8200 tonnes. Riding on rails, it is retracted before launch.

Work platforms will enable engineers to access the vehicle levels to vertically position Ariane 6’s central core directly on the launch table, add two or four boosters depending on the launch configuration, and integrate the fairing that houses the payload. Read more…

Space is not the final frontier

Franck Proust (EPP, FR), Vice-Chair of Parliament’s sky and space intergroup

Franck Proust (EPP, FR), Vice-Chair of Parliament’s sky and space intergroup

By Franck Proust*:

Europe must be realistic when it comes to its space policy, and protect its industry to ensure the EU space sector can compete globally, says Franck Proust.

From institutions to private actors, all Europeans must realise that working to support Europe in becoming the space power of the 21st century should be a common goal, bringing benefits to all citizens.

The political will exists. With the ‘Space strategy for Europe’, EU leaders have demonstrated their support for a competitive European space sector, against a background of intense global competition. The 10th conference on European space policy is therefore an opportunity to demonstrate that actions speak louder than words. Read more…

[vid] What is Galileo?

Satellite positioning has become a vital part of our daily lives and is a key for farming, science, precise timing and emergency response. We use it on our phones, cars, planes, trains, ships and thousands of other applications. In 2016, Galileo, the European Global Navigation system launched its initial services.

EU relocates GSMC facility to Spain

A scientist works on the Galileo satellite system

A scientist works on the Galileo satellite system

A part of the infrastructure for the Galileo satellite system will be relocated from the Britain to Spain because of the UK’s departure from the EU, the European Commission has announced.

The back-up Galileo security monitoring centre for Galileo was originally awarded to London in 2010 after a competitive process.

The centre, which was due to become fully operational later this year, controls access to the satellite system and provides around-the-clock monitoring of it when the main security centre, near Paris, is offline. Read more…

Ariane 6’s Vulcain engine set for first firing

Vulcain 2.1

Vulcain 2.1

A Vulcain rocket engine recently arrived in Germany ahead of its first test firing in December to demonstrate new capabilities and technologies developed for Ariane 6.

The Vulcain 2.1 will help to propel Ariane 6, new-generation launcher for Galileo, in the first 10 minutes of flight, up to an altitude of 200 km.

The engine delivers 135 tonnes of thrust in vacuum, and weighs the same as an Airbus A318 jet engine but provides more than 10 times the power. Read more…