The Payload In Orbit Testing activities is the last stage of the Early Operations Phase. It will enable the Galileo satellites 27-28 to enter service provision and their signals to become available to end-users down on Earth.

2022 is the year of delivery for EUSPA and the EU Space Programme.

Launched earlier in December from the European Spaceport in French Guyana, the Galileo satellites reached, on 21 January 2022, their orbital position at 23.222 km above the Earth after completing the drift stop and fine-positioning maneuvers. 

Earlier today, Payload in Orbit Testing activities began for satellite 27 to be followed by satellite 28 the next day. This last stage of the Early Operation Phase allows to test the health of the Galileo signals and therefore ensure the entry into service provision the following months. During the next month, the clocks onboard the two satellites will be tested and their signal analyzed to ensure that they are ready to be included in the Galileo constellation and contribute to the most accurate navigation service in the world. 

The addition of the latest batch of Galileo satellites allows for enhanced accuracy and robustness in navigation services and a better experience for the end-users. It is also another step towards the declarations of Open Service Full Operational Capability by the end of 2022 and of Public Regulated Service Initial Operational Capability by the end of 2023.

The next batch of Galileo satellites 29-30 is scheduled for launch at the beginning of the second quarter of 2022.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

The Payload In Orbit Testing activities is the last stage of the Early Operations Phase. It will enable the Galileo satellites 27-28 to enter service provision and their signals to become available to end-users down on Earth.

2022 is the year of delivery for EUSPA and the EU Space Programme.

Launched earlier in December from the European Spaceport in French Guyana, the Galileo satellites reached, on 22 January 21, their orbital position at 23.222 km above the Earth after completing the drift stop and fine-positioning maneuvers. 

Earlier today, Payload in Orbit Testing activities began for satellite 27 to be followed by satellite 28 the next day. This last stage of the Early Operation Phase allows to test the health of the Galileo signals and therefore ensure the entry into service provision the following months. During the next month, the clocks onboard the two satellites will be tested and their signal analyzed to ensure that they are ready to be included in the Galileo constellation and contribute to the most accurate navigation service in the world. 

The addition of the latest batch of Galileo satellites allows for enhanced accuracy and robustness in navigation services and a better experience for the end-users. It is also another step towards the declarations of Open Service Full Operational Capability by the end of 2022 and of Public Regulated Service Initial Operational Capability by the end of 2023.

The next batch of Galileo satellites 29-30 is scheduled for launch at the beginning of the second quarter of 2022.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is hosting a webinar on the Public Observation Test Phase of Galileo OSNMA. Scheduled for 2 February 2022, this digital gathering will offer receiver manufacturers and application developers a comprehensive overview of the new Galileo differentiator and insights in the ongoing test phase.

Intentional satellite interference is not a new issue. Lately, however, the GNSS industry has been facing more and more incidents of jamming and spoofing, driven mainly by the growing awareness and the availability of low-cost, illegal disruption equipment. GNSS signal falsification can have disastrous impacts on applications and market sectors that rely on precise and reliable position, navigation, and timing information. The global economy could suffer tremendous losses in case of GNSS outage caused by various attacks, including spoofing.

To contribute to the detection of certain types of data-level GNSS attacks, EUSPA and the European Commission are currently testing the Galileo Open Service – Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA). The OSNMA is a new, breakthrough feature of Europe’s positioning system which meets a clear user need: the provision of a more robust and trustworthy GNSS benefitting a broad range of applications. This forthcoming service is an authentication mechanism that allows Open Service users to verify the authenticity of its Navigation Message, making sure that the data the users receive is indeed from Galileo and has not been modified in any way.

Read this: GALILEO OPEN SERVICE NAVIGATION MESSAGE AUTHENTICATION (OSNMA) Info Note now available for download

To acquaint interested receiver manufacturers and application developers with the Galileo OSNMA functionalities, EUSPA is hosting a webinar on the upcoming Public Observation Test Phase of the Galileo OSNMA on 02 February 2022. EUSPA experts will provide an overview of the OSNMA service roadmap and receiver guidelines, present concrete use cases where the service can make a difference, explain how to join the Public Observation Test phase, and share your feedback.

By participating in the test phase, you will be able to:

• test the performance of the new service in their solutions.
• get hands-on experience on a long-awaited feature of Galileo and GNSS as a whole
• Be part of a one-of-a-kind user community and gain exclusive insights from experts on the market
• Give your OSNMA-enabled solution extra visibility.  
• Have the chance to steer the service towards targeted enhancements

To find out more about the test phase register for the webinar here.

Please note that the OSNMA public observation phase is targeting receiver and device manufacturers. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).