Tag Archives: European Commission

European Commission (EC)

How many Galileo satellites are now in orbit?

On July 25 four more Galileo satellites were successfully launched from the European spaceport in French Guiana on the European launcher Ariane 5. Now with a constellation of 26 satellites, the EU’s global satellite navigation system will provide a more precise signal across a range of valuable services.

Galileo has been providing positioning and timing services to around 400 million users since December 2016. This launch brings the constellation close to completion in 2020, which is when Galileo will reach full operational capability. Once complete and with a record precision of 20cm, Galileo will be the most precise satellite navigation system in the world. Read more…

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Europe is investing in space up there for all of us down here

By Elżbieta Bieńkowska*:

The European Union successfully launched on 25 July four new satellites for the navigation system Galileo. This will help it provide a more precise signal and is the next step in making Galileo the world’s best satellite navigation system by 2020.

European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

But why should you care about what happens up there in space? Part of the answer is in the palm of your hands. Thanks to Galileo, the maps on your smartphone will be able tell you where you are with 20cm accuracy. That’s better than GPS. The economy is responding: about 75 million Galileo-enabled mobile phones were sold last year alone. Read more…

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EU legislation: Europe’s 2 satellite navigation systems moving forward

Summaries of EU legislation: The Summaries of EU legislation inform on the main aspects of the European legislation, policies and activities in a clear, easy-to-read and concise way. These Summaries are intended for a general, non-specialized audience.

This regulation lays down the rules for the European satellite navigation programmes Galileo and EGNOS.

Regulation (EU) No 1285/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the implementation and exploitation of European satellite navigation systems and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 876/2002 and Regulation (EC) No 683/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council Read more…

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The great opportunities of the Galileo satellite navigation system

Galileo is a state of the art navigation system with unique features not found in any other system.

Operational since 2016, it’s designed to offer free of charge commercial, mass market, governmental and search and rescue services. Read more…

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New technology version of EGNOS will harness Galileo for aviation

EGNOS V3 Contract signing

EGNOS V3 Contract signing

The next generation of Europe’s satellite navigation overlay service, EGNOS, will combine use of GPS and Galileo signals to improve accuracy and robustness of navigation for air traffic and other uses where lives are at stake.

A contract was signed on 26th January at ESA’s technical centre in the Netherlands for the second  generation  of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, EGNOS V3, planned to enter service in 2025. Read more…

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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…

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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…

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