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.
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…
The third Galileo Initial Services Open Service (IS OS) Quarterly Performance Report, with information on the status of the Galileo constellation covering the period from July to September 2017 is now available.
These quarterly reports provide the public with the latest information on the Galileo Open Service measured performance statistics, in particular, on parameters such as: Read more…
Liftoff of Ariane 5 Flight VA240 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou
Europe has four more Galileo navigation satellites in the sky following their launch on an Ariane 5 rocket. After today’s success, only one more launch remains before the Galileo constellation is complete and delivering global coverage.
Ariane 5, operated by Arianespace under contract to ESA, lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 18:36 GMT (19:36 CET, 15:36 local time), carrying Galileo satellites 19–22. The first pair of 715 kg satellites was released almost 3 hours 36 minutes after liftoff, while the second pair separated 20 minutes later. Read more…
First Galileo User Assembly, 28-29 Nov.
The first Galileo User Assembly is set to take place in Madrid on November 28-29. The event will provide Galileo and EGNOS users with the opportunity to discuss their needs, share their experience and provide feedback on EGNSS performance.
One year after the launch of Galileo Initial Services, in December 2016, EGNSS users will gather for the first Galileo User Assembly in Madrid this November. On the first day of the Assembly, Galileo and EGNOS users will participate in the first ever EGNSS User Consultation Platform (UCP), broken into four thematic groups – Transport, Mass Market, Professional and R&D. The participants in the thematic groups will then discuss their findings in a plenary session, to be held on the second day of the Assembly. Read more…
The new features of the latest iPhone, launched on September 13, include built-in support for the European Galileo satellite system, among other GNSS. This multi-constellation support means that the new phones will offer more accurate positioning, making it harder for iPhone users to get lost, wherever they are.
Apple unveiled its iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, in addition to the iPhone X, at a much-anticipated event held at the Apple campus in Cupertino, California on September 13. Read more…
Speaking at a dedicated session entitled “Applications: Earth Sciences and Geo-Information”, part of EUREF’s annual symposium, representatives of the mapping and surveying sector discussed the various synergies between GNSS and Earth Observation and their use for providing real-time information about the state of the Earth’s troposphere.
EUREF, the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) Reference Frame Sub-Commission for Europe, is dedicated to the definition, realisation and maintenance of the European Geodetic Reference Systems. Included in this mission is the development and maintenance of the EUREF GNSS Permanent Network (EPN), which is a ground-based GNSS infrastructure for scientific and practical applications in positioning and navigation. EUREF provides standards and guidelines to European National Mapping Authorities in order to harmonise the definition and adoption of national coordinate reference systems. Read more…