EU sends its Galileo test satellite into orbit

EU sends its Galileo test satellite into orbit

	Published : Wed, 28 Dec 2005 20:05 By : Richard Owen Print this Story

BRUSSELS: The European Union Wednesday launched a test satellite, which will facilitate the creation of the Galileo navigation system, the European Space Agency said. The 600-kilogram Giove-A satellite, mounted atop a Russian rocket, beamed into space from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on schedule at 6:19 a.m. Brussels time, ESA said.

It will test the in-orbit performance of two atomic clocks and other components that will later incorporated into the system. The second test satellite, Giove-B, will now be launched in 2006, followed by four working satellites, ESA said.

The system, on completion in 2010, will cost 3.4 billion euros and will consist of 30 satellites stationed in orbit 23,222 kilometers above earth. It will give EU countries a global positioning service under civilian control and remove their dependence on the U.S. and Russia. ESA said it will guarantee operation at all times, except in emergency situations. ESA spokesperson Franco Bonacina said, "Galileo is made in Europe by Europeans. If the Americans want to scramble GPS, they can do it whenever they want."

ESA expects Galileo, offered as a public-private partnership service, to be more exact than GPS, with precision of up to one meter, compared with five meters with GPS technology. This will help, for example, rescue to direct ambulances to the exact spot.

The launch was scheduled for 26 December, but was postponed due to a technical problem.

The programme has three non-EU countries, China, Israel and Ukraine. Discussions are also under way with India, Morocco, South Korea, Norway and Argentina, according to the EU.

ESA said consumers will be able to buy Galileo-ready receivers from 2008, and they will be able to switch back and forth between GPS and Galileo. The system, which is developed with the help of several non-European countries including Ukraine, Israel and China, will create about 140,000 jobs in Europe. The EU and the U.S. have agreed to make Galileo GPS compatible.