Galileo takes off
The successful launch of the first two operational Galileo satellites on 21 October 2011 confirms Europe’s arrival on the global satellite navigation stage. This is about more than prestige, it's about growth and jobs which are key priorities in the current economic climate. Satellite navigation technologies play an ever-increasing role in the global economy and the lives of citizens. Galileo is expected to benefit both European citizens and enterprises from potentially every sector.
Indeed, it is estimated that already 6 to 7% of Europe's GDP, or €800 billion, relies on satellite navigation applications.
“The launch of the first two Galileo satellites is an important first step towards a European satellite navigation system, allowing its users to know their exact position in time and space with greater precision and reliability,” said Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission, in charge of Industry and Entrepreneurship. “It will enable EU enterprises to develop new products and services based on improved satellite navigation services ranging from more precise in-car navigation, effective road, maritime and air traffic management, electric power grid synchronisation, electronic trading and mobile phone networks, search and rescue services, and more secure banking transactions. These are all vital services on which the European economy heavily depends. Galileo will underpin their functioning.”
Navigating Europe’s future
Satellite navigation is based on the principle of triangulation; if you know your exact distance from three different points, you can calculate your position. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as Galileo or GPS, work on this principle, using a constellation of satellites to determine your exact position on or above the Earth. Each additional satellite in view further improves accuracy. In 2014, there will be an initial constellation of 18 Galileo satellites in place, capable of providing a truly cutting-edge, independent service. The ramp-up to a full constellation will continue up to 2020.
Galileo is now firmly on the road to the provision of services. Once the 18 satellites are in orbit, Galileo will begin to provide three initial services: the Open Service, which can be used for free in applications such as in-car navigation or high-precision farming. The second is the Public Regulated Service(PRS), which will protect the functioning of management of critical transport and emergency services, police work and border control, as well as of peace missions via its highly robust encrypted signals. These enhanced signals protect services against threats, such as "spoofing" which distort satellite navigation signals by giving inaccurate positioning data guiding a car, an ambulance or a ship. PRS will be valuable in crisis situations where it is essential that emergency and security services continue to function. The third service is the Search and Rescue Service which is unique to Galileo – in the event of an emergency, for example a sailor is lost at sea, not only can he send his distress signal but with Galileo he will receive a confirmation message that he has been located and consequently that help is on its way.
Two more services will follow after 2014: the Safety-of-Life Service, which will help aviation to become safer and more efficient (precision approaches and en-route guidance); and the Commercial Service, a fee-based system for commercial applications such as mining, surveying and mapping. This service will provide the highest level of precision.
Benefiting business
All sectors of Europe’s economy have the potential to benefit. By using Galileo in the road transport sector alone will deliver an estimated €43 billion in public benefits by 2030, according to a study commissioned by the European GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA). With 10% of Europe’s road network congested, Galileo could provide authorities with a new way to manage mobility and to increase safety on the road, as well as reducing pollution.
Galileo can also contribute significantly to both European competitiveness and the economic recovery. The global annual market for navigation satellite products and services is currently valued at €124 billion, and is expected to grow over the next decade to an estimated market size of €244 billion in 2020.
Happy landing
In addition to Galileo, Europeans can already benefit from EGNOS 
, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service. EGNOS acts as an enhancement to GPS, and will be completely compatible with Galileo. Comprising just three satellites and more than 40 ground stations, it provides positioning data throughout Europe to any EGNOS-enabled GPS receiver, and has become indispensable to applications where precision is essential. EGNOS also disseminates integrity signals in real-time, providing information on the health of the GPS constellation, a vital function for safety-critical applications.
The EGNOS 'Open Service', launched in October 2009, now serves applications such as personal navigation and precision farming in all 27 EU Member States. Switzerland and parts of Norway are also covered.
A major recent development is the EGNOS Safety-of-Life' (SoL) service, which is now available for use in aviation. By augmenting existing GPS signals, EGNOS offers enhanced vertical precision and integrity, allowing pilots to rely on it for safer approaches to less easily accessible airstrips or under difficult weather conditions. This enables pilots to get closer to the ground before having to decide whether or not to abort a landing. The end result is safer approaches and more on-time and on-target flights.
While the EGNOS SoL service was made available on 2 March 2011, airports still need EGNOS-specific landing procedures for their runways in order for it to be used in real flight operations. Therefore, the EU is currently helping airports, airlines and operators to develop and publish EGNOS-based airport-approach procedures, and to equip aircraft to fly according to those procedures.
Pole position
The ultimate goal of Galileo is to provide precise positioning of up to a few centimetres to as wide an array of users as possible. The significant number of satellites will also improve signals in high-rise cities and mountainous regions, where both buildings and hills can obstruct satellite frequencies. Galileo will also provide better coverage at high latitudes, thanks to the location and inclination of the satellites, which is of particular interest to northern Europe.
“The European Commission is looking ahead,” said Vice-President Tajani. “No more talk of cost over-runs. In the next multi-annual financial framework, from 2014-2020, Galileo is being allocated €1 billion per year with a strict budgetary control mechanism in place.”
Your name among the stars
A children’s drawing competition has been launched with a unique prize: the opportunity to have a Galileo satellite launched into space with your name on it. The competition was open to anyone who lives in one of the 27 EU Member States and was born in 2000, 2001 or 2002. One winner will be selected from each of the 27 EU countries and their names will be given to each of the 27 satellites in Galileo's constellation.
Winners from Bulgaria and Belgium have already been announced. Natalia is the Bulgarian winner and Thijs is the Belgian one. Their names were allocated to the two Galileo IOV satellites launched on 21 October from Kourou, French Guiana.
Applicants had until 15 November 2011 to submit their pictures, which must represent ‘Space and Aeronautics’. A national jury panel will select the winning pictures in each Member State. In the first quarter of 2012, the winners will be presented with a certificate and a trophy that represents the satellite named after them.
A team effort
A number of institutions and agencies are involved in Galileo, including:
- The European Commission, which is responsible for the management and coordination of the European satellite navigation programme, including both EGNOS and Galileo. It also owns the assets of both systems on behalf of the EU.
- The European Space Agency (ESA) which, as the architect and integrator of the system, manages the suppliers developing the technology underpinning Galileo.
- The European GNSS Agency (GSA) which manages all public interests related to Galileo and other GNSS programmes. It also works on the marketing strategy for Galileo and EGNOS, under the supervision of the European Commission.
- The European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP) which is a company set up to operate the EGNOS Open Service and its Safety-of-Life functionalities.
The Galileo constellation is being ramped up and further launches are foreseen to put the satellites in orbit with a view to providing initial services to EU citizens in 2014. Strict budgetary controls are in place for the future funding of Galileo. The Commission's proposal on the future governance of Galileo and EGNOS are currently under discussion with the European Parliament and the Council. The future looks bright. Get ready, Galileo is coming.
Contact
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‘EU Satellite Navigation Programmes’ Units
Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry
The text only of the articles can be republished as long as the source of the article is quoted: Enterprise & Industry magazine (http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/magazine/index_en.htm), © European Union, 2008 - 2012
