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The European GNSS Agency (GSA) welcomes the 30 May EU Competitiveness Council conclusions on a Space Strategy for Europe, which recognise the importance of the work that the GSA is delivering concerning Galileo and EGNOS service provision. This is a timely acknowledgement of the readiness of the GSA as we continue our thorough preparations for the transition of the Galileo service provision to the GSA on 1 July 2017. It also represents the culmination of years of work in many key areas, most recently on the Galileo Service Operator (GSOp) procurement which the GSA concluded in December 2016 for €1.5 billion.

The GSA further welcomes the confidence expressed through the Council conclusions in the unique capabilities the GSA has developed in the critical domains of market uptake and security for Galileo and EGNOS. We look forward to working with the European Commission, with the support in particular of the GSA Administrative Board, to identify whether these capabilities could be used to the benefit of the EU space activities more widely, within the framework set by the EU Space Strategy.

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) welcomes the 30 May Competitiveness Council conclusions on a Space Strategy for Europe, which recognise the importance of the work that the GSA is delivering concerning Galileo and EGNOS service provision. This is a timely acknowledgement of the readiness of the GSA as we continue our thorough preparations for the transition of the Galileo service provision to the GSA on 1 July 2017. It also represents the culmination of years of work in many key areas, most recently on the Galileo Service Operator (GSOp) procurement which the GSA concluded in December 2016 for €1.5 billion.

The GSA further welcomes the confidence expressed through the Council conclusions in the unique capabilities the GSA has developed in the critical domains of market uptake and security for Galileo and EGNOS. We look forward to working with the European Commission, with the support in particular of the GSA Administrative Board, to identify whether these capabilities could be used to the benefit of the EU space activities more widely, within the framework set by the EU Space Strategy.

The European GNSS Agency (GSA), along with the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC), announce the commissioning of two additional Galileo satellites, increasing the total number of satellites available for service provision to 16.

The GSA announced the completion of in-orbit testing (IOT) of two new Galileo satellites, GSAT0207–SV ID 07- and GSAT0214–SV ID 05-, which were launched in November last year. Having passed all initial tests, the two satellites are now officially commissioned for operational use and are usable for service provision, as stated in the most recent NAGUs published on the GSC web portal (NAGU 2017017 and NAGU 2017018).

The satellites were launched along with two others (GSAT0212 –SV ID 03- and GSAT0213 –SV ID 04-) from Kourou in French Guiana on November 17, 2016. They were the first to be launched using an Ariane-5 rocket.

Watch This: GSA ready for Initial Services

The two new satellites reinforce the provision of Galileo Initial Services, which were declared on December 15th, 2016. This will be further strengthened after the other two satellites launched in November also become commissioned. Additional satellites will be launched over the course of the coming years, enlarging the Galileo constellation and gradually improving Galileo’s global performance. The constellation is set to reach full operational capability in 2020.

About Galileo

Galileo is Europe's civilian global satellite navigation system. It allows users worldwide to know their exact position in time and space with great precision and reliability. Once complete, the Galileo system will consist of 30 satellites and the necessary ground infrastructure to enable the provision of positioning, navigation and timing services.

The Galileo programme is funded and owned by the European Union. The European Commission has the overall responsibility for the Galileo programme, managing and overseeing the implementation of all programme activities.

Galileo's deployment, the design and development of the new generation of systems and the technical development of infrastructure are entrusted to the European Space Agency (ESA). The definition, development and in-orbit validation phases of the Galileo programme were carried out by ESA, and co-funded by ESA and the European Commission.

The GSA is charged with ensuring the uptake and security of Galileo. As of 2017, the GSA is responsible for all Galileo operations and the provision of Galileo services.

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).

GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides provides an update on the status of E-GNSS at the 2017 European Navigation Conference (ENC) in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 10 May.

European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Carlo des Dorides provided ENC 2017 attendees with a status update on both Galileo and EGNOS. Speaking as part of an expert panel on multi-constellation operation and services, des Dorides noted that the number of Galileo-compatible receivers had increased significantly since 2010, and that all the major world players were now implementing Galileo-compatible solutions. “We are starting to see remarkable results with the first new smartphones, which account for the largest GNSS market share. These results bear testimony to how much Galileo has achieved,” he said.

To keep users up-to-date with detailed information on all available Galileo-compatible products, the GSA has launched www.useGalileo.eu. From this dedicated tool available in 24 languages, users can easily browse the list of currently available Galileo-enabled products and devices and search for devices based on user segment. 

Read this: Use Galileo today!

Des Dorides said that 2016 was a milestone year for Galileo, with the Declaration of Galileo Initial Services in December, adding that over the next two years work will be conducted to gradually ramp up and complete the system. “We are expecting to have four more satellites launched this year and to have the complete constellation of 30 satellites fully deployed by 2020,” he said. Des Dorides stressed that the results from the past few years were very encouraging and that performance parameters, such as ranging accuracy and UTC time dissemination accuracy, have been excellent.

Building trust in GNSS

Asked about innovations or designs that improve the trustworthiness of GNSS systems, des Dorides highlighted a three-fold approach comprising of a multi-constellation system, double frequencies and authentication. “From the E-GNSS perspective, we believe in the multi-constellation concept, which means more satellites and better availability and accuracy,” he said.

Read this: The shift towards a multi-constellation environment

Furthermore, the introduction of a second frequency will also improve accuracy as it allows better ionospheric correction and improves the reliability of positioning, velocity and timing (PVT) data. “Adding two frequencies makes the system less vulnerable to jamming and spoofing,” des Dorides said. Finally, he noted that Galileo will provide authentication across a range of services – open, commercial and public regulated (PRS) – adding that the combination of these three elements will increase the trustworthiness of the system.

Imtiaz Ali Khan, from the Indian Space Research Organisation, also highlighted the benefits that a second frequency brings. The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) uses multiple frequencies, which, according to Khan, reduces the risk of intentional or unintentional interference. “This is underpinned by a failure message alert system that allows users to switch to an alternate system in the event of failure,” he said.

Read this: Dual Frequency: The Next Mass Market Revolution for GNSS?

GLONASS delegate Igor Silvestrov, from the VNIIFTRI research institute in the Russian Federation, stressed the need for cooperation with receiver manufacturers. According to him, Russian receiver manufacturers are closely involved in discussions about what properties new GLONASS signals need to have to allow users to receive additional information. “The new Interface Control Documents (ICDs) were developed in close cooperation with the receiver manufacturers,” he said.

Lieutenant David Besson from the US Airforce GPS Directorate talked about the ongoing work being done to improve the trustworthiness of GNSS in the US. He noted that the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) was very involved in Advanced Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (ARAIM), which is essentially an algorithm that allows an aircraft to assess whether it can trust the GPS signals it receives. “ARAIM is the way of the future, a way to get more information to the receiver about the integrity of the information it is receiving,” he said, adding that the technology could also be used in other areas of application, such as autonomous cars.

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).