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Today, December 15, marks the first anniversary of the declaration of Galileo Initial Services. This is an ideal opportunity to look back at what has proven to be an exciting year full of achievements for Galileo, as well as the European GNSS Agency (GSA).

The most recent milestone, falling almost on the anniversary of the Galileo Initial Services declaration, was the successful launch, on December 12, of four new Galileo satellites from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, bringing the Galileo constellation to a total of 22 satellites and reinforcing the provision of Galileo services. This mission was the first for which the GSA was part of the launch team and responsible for the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP), overseeing Spaceopal in its role as Galileo Service Operator (GSOp) and LEOP Mission Director.

Watch this: Galileo Initial Services – one year on

An eventful year

Responsibility for the LEOP mission came as a result of the July 1 handover to the GSA of oversight of operations and service provision for Galileo. This was a milestone for the programme and the agency, as this responsibility includes overseeing the operation of key Galileo service facilities, ensuring a return on investment in Galileo in the form of across-the-board services and applications, and maximising Galileo adoption across user segments.

Since the declaration of Initial Services, many device and chip manufacturers have taken steps to incorporate Galileo into their products. In September, Apple launched its latest iPhone offering, which included, for the first time, built-in support for Galileo, among other GNSS. This announcement completed the list of major smartphones brands compatible with Galileo.

Also in September, Broadcom Limited, a leading developer of digital and analogue semiconductor connectivity solutions, announced the launch of the world’s first mass-market, dual frequency GNSS receiver device for smartphones, the BCM47755, enabling a new suite of high-precision LBS applications. The expanded availability of L1/E1 and L5/E5 frequencies in satellite constellations, in particular thanks to Galileo, makes it possible to use both frequencies to compute position much more accurately.

And this: Galileo in your pocket

To keep track of the ever-expanding range of Galileo-enabled devices serving a variety of needs as they become available, check out: USE.GALILEO.EU.

Feedback from users

These expanded opportunities for using Galileo fed into the discussions at the 1st Galileo User Assembly, held in Madrid on November 28-29. This event brought together 280 Galileo users to participate in the first EGNSS User Consultation Platform and share their experience, discuss their needs and provide feedback on Galileo performance, one year after the launch of Galileo Initial Services. This feedback and user experience is a valuable tool in fine-tuning and improving the provision of Galileo services – so we invite you to participate in our Galileo user satisfaction survey here.

“Thanks to the hard work and teamwork of the European Commission, the European Space Agency, the GSA, and a network of excellent industrial partners across Europe, Galileo has truly taken positive strides forward since last December’s milestone,” says Carlo des Dorides, GSA Executive Director. “The future is bright for Galileo and satellite navigation users around the globe.”

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) 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 GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

On December 1 the Galileo Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) Centre, built to the highest environmental standards, was inaugurated at the GALAXIA European Space Applications Park in Transinne, Belgium, in the presence of Belgian Mobility Minister François Bellot.

Galileo’s satellites communicate with 16 ground stations and these, in turn, ensure that the Galileo constellation continues to deliver reliable accurate and secure positioning and timing. To allow these stations operate to the highest standards, they need to have easy access to highly specialised parts that can be rapidly delivered to where they are needed. The Galileo ILS Centre will be the go-to point for those managing ground stations and will be staffed with highly qualified engineers specialised in robotics, aeronautics and IT.

Central location

From its central location in Transinne, the Galileo ILS Centre will support an efficient spare part and repair provisioning service for Galileo ground infrastructure. The Centre will be in charge of guaranteeing the proper spare part stock for corrective and preventive maintenance. It will also reset and update equipment received from the stations, or ship it to the manufacturers for more comprehensive retrofits, should this be necessary.

The Galileo ILS Centre will ensure that Galileo ground stations get all the specialised parts they need, when they need them.

The Galileo ILS Centre is located close to major transport hubs; it is highly secured and can generate most of the electricity it needs to operate. The GSA is in charge of the centre, which is run by the Galileo Service Operator (GSOp) under a EUR 1.5 billion contract signed in December 2016.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides said that the Galileo ILS Centre would allow the GSA, through the Galileo Service Operator and its logistics partner Vitrociset, to efficiently manage material stocks, conduct repairs and support operational requirements. “This is a fundamental component of the Galileo system,” he said.

Bellot said the project was important for Belgium: “Belgium has invested a lot in space technology and Galileo. We have a lot of large companies working in this area. Galileo is a European project par excellence that will provide great added value. I’m thinking, for example, of autonomous vehicles that will need the high precision provided by the Galileo system.”

IDELUX President Elie Deblire, who led the project, outlined the centre’s state-of-the-art features. The building has two separate and independent fibre-optic networks, 3,000 sensors measuring everything from humidity to security, 228 solar panels, as well as five geothermal sources of energy.

Watch this: Galileo Integrated Logistics Support Centre

DG GROW Deputy Director General Pierre Delsaux underlined how important it is to celebrate Europe’s successes. He said that Galileo was a great European project and that “Europe needs great projects”. Delsaux had met with European ministers with responsibility for competitiveness that morning to discuss the EU's space programmes. Estonia Entrepreneurship and Information Technology Minister Urve Palo said after the meeting: "Today we have two EU's space flagship programmes, Galileo and Copernicus, that are delivering significant value to European citizens and to the economy. […] The world has become digital and the EU's space policy is an essential instrument for moving towards a digitalised and data-driven economy in Europe."
The Galileo ILS project is another important part of the flagship programme.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) 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 GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).