Galileo and GPS systems
to work together
The UK government has published
the agreement between it and fellow
European governments, and the USA,
over the promotion, provision and use
of the Galileo and GPS systems.
After many years of wrangling, the
Galileo project was finally given the
go-ahead by the European Union back
in December 2007. Galileo is intended
to be an independent alternative to
America’s GPS. As recently as the year
2000, the US only provided limited
access to GPS to the general public.
Both the United States and the EU signed
an agreement way back in June 2004
that GPS and Galileo signals would be
interoperable, but it has taken several
years for the agreement to be approved
by member states.
www.techworld.com
Galileo satellite sends
first signals to Earth
Giove-B, the test satellite for Europe’s
Galileo system, has sent its first navigation
signals back to Earth, marking what
the European Space Agency (ESA)
called “a historic step,” showing
that Galileo can work alongside the
GPS system of the United States.
According to a BBC report, Giove-B,
which follows the launch of Giove-A in 2005, carries the most accurate clock
ever sent into orbit, key to its intended
capacity of providing location information
that’s accurate to a meter. The Galileo
fleet will be fully operational by 2013.
More sophisticated than its predecessor,
the half-tonne, 2.4x1x1m box will test
further the key Galileo technologies
such as the atomic clocks that provide
the precise timing underpinning all satnav
applications.
www.eetasia.com
SSC supports the
GIOVE B mission
Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) is for
the moment supporting the GIOVE B
mission during the Launch and Early Orbit
Phase (LEOP), via four ground stations
included in PrioraNet*, the largest satellite
ground station network in the world.
As soon as the LEOP is over, SSC will
deliver routine Telemetry, Tracking and
Command (TT&C) for GIOVE B during
its operational lifetime. GIOVE-B will
extend the first Galileo demonstration. In
addition to the LEOP and TT&C support
for GIOVE B, SSC is also establishing the
head TT&C ground station for the future
Galileo satellites here at Esrange Space
Center. We are planning to be a part of the
Galileo mission for a very long time, says
Mr. Johan Sjöström, project manager at
Esrange Satellite Station, SSC.
www.ssc.se
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