Galileo - Midterm Review

Darren · Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 3:45 pm Post subject: Galileo - Midterm Review

More Galileo news. Following our news of the wikileaks cable leak earlier this week (see here), OHB CEO Berry Smutny was removed from his his post. And yesterday the European Commission presented their midterm review of the European satellite navigation programme Galileo.

With the in-orbit testing of the two experimental satellites underway and the building of the first four operational satellites nearing completion the EC expect initial navigational services will commence in 2014.

Despite initial objections by the US and a myriad of other obstacles, the technical achievements have been impressive and the UK has lead the way in the design and construction of the new satellites. Each one will be more technically advanced, more accurate and far cheaper to build and launch than those of its US rival, Navstar.

The BBC were leading today with a news item claiming additional costs of €1.9 billion. These are not additional, and unforeseen, as claimed but are instead part of the anticipated costs necessary to complete the satellite constellation, which will, when finished, number 30 satellites in total.

The EU estimates that €800 billion of Europe's GDP currently relies on satellite navigation and the global market for satnav applications, growing at 30% in recent years could be worth €240 billion by 2020.

Budget costs for Galileo consist of €3.4 billion financed by the EU for work until 2013 (which includes the manufacture and launch of the first 18 satellites) and the additional, forecast €1.9 billion required to complete the infrastructure and to bring all 30 satellites into service.

Galileo will bring faster, more accurate positioning, with accuracy of one metre as well as separate, encrypted services that will be made available to critical transport and emergency service users.

For more information on Galileo see here.

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Darren Griffin

Rowan29a · Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 4:37 pm Post subject: Re: Galileo - Midterm Review

You can bet your bottom Euro that charges for personal use will be in the pipeline....
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Mike -
TomTom 750 Live
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Darren · Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 4:53 pm Post subject: Re: Galileo - Midterm Review

legalspeed · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 27, 2010 Posts: 20

Could it be that the new income streams for the various cash strapped European governments from road pricing cannot be introduced using a gps system that is owned by someone else? (gps by the Americans, glonass by the Russians). However, once the European galileo system is up and running at whatever cost, then the route to road pricing is wide open. Call me a suspicious old cynic if you wish, but watch this space. regards, Legalspeed.

Darren · Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 5:41 pm Post subject:

Nothing to stop them using the existing GPS network, but Galileo will be more accurate.

Even so, there are many technical hurdles before GPS could be reliably used for road pricing.
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Darren Griffin

vicz · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 15, 2007 Posts: 14

This is ALL abut EU wide road pricing, and has been right from its inception.

Darren · Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 6:52 pm Post subject:

Guivre46 · Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:46 pm Post subject:

I think it is about conflict of interest. Can't expect the US to allow EU to use their satellites if EU acts in a way not inline with US interests. Suspect something like this was happening during the Falklands crisis. There is probably looming problems with global resources, border controls, and competition for trade agreements. But we'll know when it happens.
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Mike R [aka Wyvern46]
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BigPerk · Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 11:52 pm Post subject:

Exactly - I don't expect satnavs work too well in Iraq or Iran at the moment ...
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David
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M8TJT · Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 11:56 pm Post subject:

Even when the Americans had SA on, the accuracy was good enough for normal navigation, and if integrated over time, would give you an accurate fix. Albeit probably not accurate enough to drop a bomb down an airshaft.

Darren · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 10:10 am Post subject:

CDK · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 10:11 pm Post subject:

With the EU system out of US control and hot/cold relationship between the US and the French (who will probably be in control) what's the betting that the US have smuggled a hidden master "Off" switch into the design - also with the international supply chain of such specialised equipment limited to handful of manufacturers (mainly US, Taiwan & Japan), who can trust that the equipment is not carrying an extra hidden payload that can be enabled/disabled as and when required.

Fact is stranger than fiction....

BigPerk · Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:38 am Post subject:

Darren · Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 8:41 am Post subject:

Guivre46 · Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:18 pm Post subject:

Along these lines perhaps? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8304654/WikiLeaks-cables-US-agrees-to-tell-Russia-Britains-nuclear-secrets.html
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Mike R [aka Wyvern46]
Go 530T - unsupported
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