Galileo is the European Union's Global Satellite Navigation System (GNSS). Sometimes called the ’European GPS‘, Galileo provides accurate positioning and timing information. Galileo is a programme under civilian control and its data can be used for a broad range of applications. It is autonomous but also interoperable with existing satellite navigation systems. At the moment, the Galileo constellation consists of 26 satellites.
On 15 December 2016, the Declaration of Initial Services marked the beginning of Galileo’s operational phase. This means that anyone with a Galileo-enabled device is now able to use signals provided by Galileo's global satellite constellation for positioning, navigation and timing.
With 26 satellites in orbit and their supporting ground infrastructure, Galileo is currently offering three Initial Services after an extensive testing period:
These services are free of charge and are available for citizens, business and authorities.
Galileo Initial Services are managed by the European GNSS Agency (GSA), based in Prague, Czech Republic.
For more information about Galileo Initial Services and on the Galileo system status, please visit the European GNSS Service Center.
The European Radio Navigation Plan provides information on existing and emerging radio-based position, navigation and timing (PNT) systems. It is designed to guide users when choosing technology solutions so that they can take full advantage of the EU's Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Galileo and EGNOS. It also includes information on EU legislation.
The plan is designed to benefit a range of sectors that use GNSS. It will also help improve the EU's strategic autonomy in satellite navigation, boost the robustness and resilience of PNT systems in Europe, and streamline investment into PNT infrastructure.
The Declaration of Initial Services is the first step towards Galileo reaching Full Operational Capability. This means that the signals are now highly accurate, but not available all the time. This is why Galileo signals will be used in combination with other navigation systems like GPS during the Initial Phase.
In the coming years, new satellites will be launched to enlarge the Galileo constellation, which will gradually improve Galileo signal availability worldwide. The constellation is expected to be completed by 2020, when it will include 24 satellites and 6 spare satellites.
Many sectors of the European economy rely on precise localisation. The market for satellite navigation services has been growing steadily and is expected to be worth €250 billion per year by 2022. Today, around 7% of the EU economy is dependent on the availability of global navigation satellite signals. This includes transport, logistics, telecommunications and energy.
Our goal is to put the European Union on par with others, as several competitive systems are being built at the same time: Glonass in Russia, Beidou in China and the next generation of GPS in the USA.
We want to strengthen the competitiveness of our industry. Space is a source of industrial excellence and technological development with several potential spill-over effects into other sectors.
Independent studies show that Galileo will deliver around €90 billion to the EU economy over the first 20 years of operations. This includes direct revenues for the space, receivers, and applications industries, and indirect revenues for society such as more effective transport systems, more effective rescue operations, etc.
The goals of the EU’s satellite navigation programmes (Galileo and EGNOS) are to:
The European Commission analyses the impact that satellite navigation has on competitiveness in four main segments of the EU economy:
The Galileo programme is funded and owned by the EU.
The European Commission has overall responsibility for the programme, managing and overseeing the implementation of all activities on behalf of the EU.
Galileo's deployment, its design, and the development of the new generation of systems and the technical development of infrastructure is entrusted to the European Space Agency (ESA).
The Commission has delegated the operational management of the programme to the GSA, which oversees how Galileo infrastructure is used and ensures that Galileo services are delivered as planned and without interruption.