A Chinese general contractor for the European Galileo Project recently obtained three application projects. The Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU) endorsed China Galileo Industries (CGI) to develop the fishery application system, the location-based services and special ionospheric studies for the Galileo regional augmentation services.

The EU and the European Space Agency had kicked off the 3.5 billion- billioneuro Galileo Project in March 2002 euro to develop a satellite-navigation system independent of the U.S. The first Galileo navigation satellite is expected to be launched later this year. China was the first country outside Europe to join the Galileo Project, agreeing to invest a total of 200 million euros into the global consortium. About 70 million euros of the Chinese investment have been put into technologies development and the remaining 130 million euros into deployment of space and ground infrastructure. The EU estimated that by 2020, the Galileo Project will bring Europe tens of billions of euros in revenues and tens of thousands of job opportunities. Chinese experts expected revenues worth 260 billion yuan (23.6 billion euros) in Galileo systems applications by 2020.
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Two satellites are being developed for the Galileo System Test Bed – Version 2, which will make up the first phase of in the ‘in-orbit validation’ of the Galileo system. The primary mission of the first Galileo satellites is to secure the Galileo frequency filings, validate new technologies for operational use, characterise the radiation environment of the medium earth orbits that the operational satellites will occupy and enable experimentation with live Galileo signals.
www.esa.int

British industry officials have expressed concern that the U.K portion of a 420-million-euro ($512-million) additional financing package necessary to fund the in- inorbit- validation (IOV) phase may orbit-not be forthcoming because of squabbling about who should pay for it. Based on its current 17% stake, Britain would have to fork over about 35 million euros to cover the extra costs, which are related to signal security and management requirements not originally foreseen as well past program delays. According to an industry source, British Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman recently wrote to industry and Research Minister David Sainsbury to say his ministry would not contribute additional funds funds.