The Galileo programme is Europe's initiative for a state-of-the-art GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) infrastructure, providing a highly accurate, guaranteed global positioning service specifically designed for civilian purposes.

While providing autonomous navigation and positioning services, Galileo (the global EU GNSS system) will at the same time be compatible and interoperable with GPS (USA) and GLONASS (Russia), the two other existing global satellite navigation systems. The fully deployed system established under the Galileo Program will consist of 30 satellites and the associated ground infrastructure.

Based on the award of the contracts for the first order of satellites, the launch services and the system support services, the European Commission announced that three of the five services provided by the EU GNSS System will be provided as of early 2014: the Open Service, the Public Regulated Service and the Search And Rescue Service. The Safety-of-Life Service and the Commercial Service will be tested as of 2014 and will be provided as the system reaches full operational capability with the 30 satellites.