Author Archives: Galileo GNSS

First Galileo Hackathon

Didactic disco

Didactic Disco team

The first ever European GNSS Agency (GSA) Galileo Hackathon brought together teams of passionate coders and geo enthusiasts from around the world to compete for some impressive prizes. The venue was Berlin’s Beuth University of Applied Sciences on 3 and 4 November during the sixth WhereCamp ‘unconference’ dedicated to geolocation enthusiasts and professionals. All the Hackathon competitors received a Galileo-ready BQ Smartphone and a certificate, while the two winning teams also each collected a €500 cash prize.

WhereCamp Berlin on 3 and 4 November was the place to be for movers and shakers shaping the future of Location Based Services (LBS) and Geo-IoT (Geolocation in Internet of Things). The first Galileo Hackathon was a unique opportunity to showcase coding skills, connect with the Geo-IoT app development community, and to gain a competitive insight on what Galileo LBS will be bringing to the smartphone in your pocket in the very near future. Read more…

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[vid] European Space Strategy

Space matters to all of us in Europe. Daily life depends on the technologies, services and data that space helps to deliver. Europe’s space industry is strong and competitive, and it creates jobs. Copernicus is already one of the world’s leading providers of Earth observation data. Galileo, our own global satellite navigation system, will soon provide more accurate and reliable positioning and timing information. And we want to help all the new start-ups who see space as their next frontier by making it easier for them to access and use space data. Today, we want to ensure that European citizens get the best value for every euro we spend.

 

Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said: “The European Union is a key player in space policy. We want to build on that and use this leadership role strategically to create jobs and growth and deliver on our common policy priorities: security, climate change, transport, data economy, management of natural disasters. Read more…

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NASA and ESA to Test GPS and Galileo Receivers on Board the International Space Station

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and Qascom, an Italian company specializing in Galileo, are collaborating to build the first GPS and Galileo receiver to be tested on board the International Space Station (ISS) Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed.

SCaN is a payload developed by NASA that has been hosted on board the International Space Station on an external truss since late 2012. It has the objective of testing navigation and communication experimentations with a Software Defined Radio (SDR) approach, which permits software only updates for testing new experimental configurations. Read more…

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Ariane 5 ready for first payload of Galileo satellites

ariane 5's bay hoisted for integrationThe initial Ariane 5 to loft four global positioning satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation system has begun its build-up at the Spaceport in French Guiana for a milestone Arianespace mission in November.

This launcher is an Ariane 5 ES version that began the integration process begining of October, with the cryogenic core stage’s positioning over a mobile launch pad, followed by integration of the vehicle’s two solid propellant boosters.

Designated as Flight VA233 in Arianespace’s numbering system, the mission’s Ariane 5 was assembled inside the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building. During activity in the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building, the heavy-lift vehicle for Arianespace Flight VA233 underwent the assembly process that began by mating Ariane 5’s two solid propellant strap-on boosters with the main cryogenic stage. Read more…

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Satellite navigation at core of future connected car systems

driverless-car-02At the joint “Insurance Telematics” and “Connected Cars” conference in London, vehicle manufacturers, software engineers, public authorities and many more heard how GNSS and internet-enabled vehicles are changing the road transport landscape.

Major vehicle manufacturers are now delivering motor vehicles with connected services for drivers, including real-time traffic and weather reports and accident or road works warnings. More applications are on the way, and the technology systems that support them will enable the increasing number of autonomous vehicles that will soon be cruising down our roads and highways. Read more…

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EU Galileo and Japanese QZSS combination pushes driverless cars

The Japanese government and the European Union plan to connect their global positioning systems to speed up the development of autonomous driving technology.

If all goes as planned, Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System and the EU’s Galileo will be linked as early as 2018. The link will be a common digital language that the systems will use to transmit information. This will allow driverless cars and autoparts developed for the Japanese market to be shipped and used outside Japan. Read more…

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