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Keynote address at the 34th Space Symposium, the premier space event in the world, reviewed the achievements of the European Union’s (EU) flagship space programmes– Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus – and outlined the three paradigms driving future EU space policies.

European Commission Head of Cabinet Tomasz Husak outlined the achievements of the European Union’s (EU) flagship space programmes while emphasising the three major paradigm shifts driving future European space policies during his keynote address at the 34th Space Symposium April 17, 2018, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. U.S.A.

The four-day conference is the premier international event for the space sector, and annually attracts thousands of participants, hundreds of exhibits and big-name speakers.

“Our three operational programmes, Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus are on track and on budget,” reported Husak. “Over the past three years, with Copernicus, the EU has become one of the biggest data providers in the world. The quality of Copernicus Sentinels data and products are setting a global standard in Earth observation. Our services are offering the most accurate climate and environmental data 24/7.”

The EU Space Programmes stand team present Galileo, EGNSOS and Copernicus at the 34th Space Symposium

He also noted that a little over one year after the declaration of “initial services,” Galileo, the European satellite navigation infrastructure, is experiencing significant market adoption.

“We estimate that some 75 million Galileo-enabled smartphones have been sold globally,” said Husak. “The benefits of Galileo will only increase as we are moving toward completion of the constellation and full operational capabilities.”

Galileo currently consists of 22 spacecraft with four more satellites launching this year. Major manufacturers, such as Apple, Google, Samsung and Sony now offer Galileo-enabled products. And due to the combined signals between the United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS) and Galileo, global users will enjoy much better geo-positioning. 

“Thanks to the GPS and Galileo working together, the world can expect more precise navigation,” explained Husak. “The use of data provided by these two systems will deliver improved emergency services, safer aviation and numerous other applications that will drive new business innovation, such as automated cars and the Internet of Things.”

Husak added that while Europe’s civilian-led satellite technology programmes were designed to achieve autonomy and depart in mission somewhat from the dual military/civil GPS programme of the United States, it doesn’t mean that the EU excludes collaboration with others – far from it.

No one is powerful enough to boldly go alone

His remarks reinforced the position set forth by EU Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska in a recent commentary piece featured in the Space Symposium issue of Space News.

“In space, no one is powerful enough to boldly go alone,” proclaimed  Bieńkowska. “Space matters in Europe and it is a top political priority. But the European Union’s efforts to achieve autonomy in space don’t mean we act in isolation. Europe wants to make itself an attractive place for public and private investors, including Americans, who want to invest in space startups and other businesses. Venture capital investment will be incentivised in Europe. As free marketers, we obviously trust that innovation and free competition will [drive] new ideas [on] how to use combined GPS and Galileo [to] drive business on both sides of the Atlantic. ”

Beyond free enterprise, Bieńkowska cited space research and exploration as two other great societal benefits of space collaboration.

“On space exploration and satellite navigation the European Space Agency [ESA] cooperates with NASA on the International Space Station, telescopes and robotic space missions,” she wrote. “ESA provides the service modules for the future Orion capsule and will launch the James Webb Space Telescope. And a Belgian Michael Gillon, funded by EU money, led the international team that discovered the planetary system TRAPPIST-1 in February 2018. The discovery came from cooperation between Americans and Europeans.”

No resting on laurels. Looking ahead to future EU space policies

Noting that Europe will not rest on its laurels, Husak in his Symposium address went on to underscore the three major changes occurring within the space sector that will influence the future of EU space policies.

“First, space has become truly important for our economy and society, so we will continue to put users at the centre of our space programmes,” he said. “Second, space is the enabler of security and defence, two top concerns among our citizens. Third, the role of the private sector is changing as an initiator of space projects. Public programmes need to work hand-in-hand with these new dynamics.”

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).

The Horizon 2020 funded PRoPART project is developing an enhanced Real Time Kinematic (RTK) software solution for automated vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems. To do this, project researchers are combining some of Galileo’s distinguishing features with other positioning and sensor technologies.  

‘Vision Zero’ is a point in the future that is free of deadly and catastrophic motor vehicle accidents. Thanks to the development of automated vehicles and other advanced driver assistance systems, which are predicted to reduce traffic density and increase travel efficiency, this vision is quickly becoming a reality. 

However, before we can reach Vision Zero, we first need to develop the precise and robust positioning technology that these automated vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems demand – which is exactly what the GSA-funded Horizon 2020 PRoPART project has set out to do. 

Today’s autonomous vehicles use a variety of sensors, starting from GNSS but also including cameras, laser scanners, ultrasonic and radar. The connected and automated vehicle applications currently being developed depend on these systems being able to cooperate in order to determine the vehicle’s absolute position relative to any obstacles. 

“No single technology is capable of providing the required absolute positioning in all situations, and when we combine different technologies, it becomes vital that we understand the integrity of the available information,” explains Project Coordinator Stefan Nord. “The PRoPART project aims to develop and enhance an existing GNSS RTK (Real Time Kinematic) software solution by exploiting the distinguished features of Galileo signals, as well as combining it with other positioning and sensor technologies.” 

The GNSS benefit 

To provide this required integrity, PRoPART proposes an RTK technique that is already widely used for precise GNSS positioning based on the use of code and carrier phase measurements coming from the main GNSS constellations (i.e., GPS, Galileo). Although the use of carrier phase measurements allows for centimetre level accuracies, it also means one must confirm the integrity of such signals – which is a complex and time-consuming process. 

“One limitation with the RTK technique is that it requires reference data from a location relatively close to the user in order to mitigate against signal errors caused by, for example, satellite position error,” explains Nord. “Similar to all satellite positioning technologies there can also be areas with poor coverage or signal interference, such as in tunnels or urban canyons.” 

Luckily, Galileo ensures higher multipath mitigation and a substantial improvement on the reliability of the carrier phase’s ambiguity resolution. “By including Galileo, the PRoPART project will provide users with a deeply integrated, multi-constellation, multi-channel navigation system that fulfils the requirements on availability and precision for an automated driving function,” adds Nord.  The PRoPART project will also augment road infrastructure to provide the reference data required for high accuracy positioning.

Transition period

Nord notes that because there will be a transition period where a lot of vehicles are neither connected nor fully automated, there is a market need for solutions offering high impact during low penetration. PRoPART meets this market need by implementing a Road Side Unit, or RSU, with high precision positioning and that uses both UWB and a traffic monitoring sensor to supply ranging, object perception and EGNSS RTK correction data to the connected automated vehicle. “This allows the vehicle to make safe decisions based on robust data,” he says.

PRoPART will demonstrate its positioning solution using a truck capable of automated driving on motorway conditions.

The project is a consortium of seven partners: RISE, AstaZero, Scania, Waysure, Fraunhofer IIS, Ceit-IK4, Baselabs and Commsignia.

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).