Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system at a "dead end"

Europe's answer to GPS, Galileo, may be making some technological progress these days, but it looks like it still has some serious challenges of another sort to overcome if it's going to move forward as planned. According to the BBC, the main problem at the moment is that the consortium of companies building the system have yet to agree on a single company structure to oversee the ambitious endeavor, and they're now about the run against the May 10th date that had been set to get things sorted out. As a result, the European Commission is now reportedly planning to put forth new proposals to completely overhaul the project, which could see an increased cost to taxpayers in the EU. Whatever the problems, the parties involved had better not waste too much time getting their act together -- we hear the Russians are coming on strong with their own challenge to the GPS throne.

[Thanks, Stewart]

[Rod Munch @ May 8th 2007 9:16PM]

There's nothing better than technological competition between global powers to make everyone safer and better off.

[ForReal @ May 8th 2007 10:50PM]

Another failed European Socialist Experiment. "We do not want a GPS for military purposes, we want it for the people"... and that is why Europe will always fail.

[Argot @ May 9th 2007 7:09AM]

Yeah cause your invasion of Iraq, FEMA and your "war on drugs" are shiny examples of how things should be done.

[Anonymous @ May 8th 2007 11:38PM]

The whole point of this endeavor was "Wahhh, the Americans are controlling the GPS, so lets spend billions of dollars to build a system that does exactly the same thing, yet costs our citizens a shitload of tax dollars"

This is almost as funny as when the European Union tried to wrestle control of the Internet from the United States last year (or was it the year before?). First they tell us it's wrong for us to have control, and what is their alternative? Give them control ofcourse! Yeah, that's a smart plan, give control of the internet to the new world version of the communist bloc (The EU).

If I were a European citizen, I'd be angry that my tax dollars were being spent in an effort to send a multi-billion dollar "FUCK YOU!" to the United States.

[Matt Hadder @ May 9th 2007 1:12AM]

Was the US's plan to send an astronaut into space a multi-billion dollar "FUCK YOU" to the Russians, after they already achieved it?

If this scenario was reversed, would you want your government relying on a EU controlled GPS or to build its own?

No one is getting hurt here, and it's their money.

[Semi @ May 9th 2007 5:27AM]

Anonymous,

First of all, the planned Galileo will be technically superior to the current US version (more precise). It may be not important though. Secondly, the current system can be degraded any time if the military interest of the US requires it, making EU companies and citizens dependent on actions outside their control. I'm sure you would not be calm either if Russia controlled the only reliable GPS system.

Thirdly, please try learn some history before posting nonsenses, as it will only make your other - otherwise maybe correct - comments also seem ridiculous.
Or if you find learning tiresome, then just believe someone from a former communist state, that EU is FAR from being communist :-)
Peace

[CB @ May 9th 2007 6:19AM]

The fact that we Europeans as the British so hate to be called are going to end up paying for it was a dead cert, this enterprise had 'We'll pretend it's private till someone points out the blindingly obvious, no one will pay!!' written all over it.

Increased GPS reliabilty/accuracy will come in the shape of new recievers not the sats themselves, my Nokia N95 puts me on google maps reliably within 5ft of my position when I'm outside with good lock, who needs better than that?

Soon GPS chips will get that multilock accuracy in your basement, and the Americans are upgrading GPS anyway.

[CB @ May 9th 2007 7:19AM]

By the way if you want GPS positioned google maps on your phone then the java app MGMAPS is your friend, it's the nerds dogz bollox and free!
http://www.mgmaps.com/

Displays all the main sat/road maps and switches on the fly.

[Dan @ May 9th 2007 7:52AM]

I'm always perplexed by statements like these: "...which could see an increased cost to taxpayers in the EU."
The EU itself has absolutely *no* authority to raise taxes. Its budget is strictly limited in multi-annual frameworks, agreed to by all 27 Member States. The budget is financed primarily by (a) customs duties (b) a percentage of the VAT base and (c) contributions from the Member States, all not to exceed 1.27% of the total EU GDP. And, I should add, the EU is not allowed to borrow money, so it is not in massive debt like the United States government.

[Jeff @ May 9th 2007 2:52PM]

Ah, so the US is only what's happened during the Bush administration. I see. Of course Europe has such successes to fall back on as the utter failure and paralysis of Airbus (betting it all on a prestige project=not smart), the wonderful job you did in your own back yard as Yugoslavia came apart at the seams, and the amazing way you've managed intra-EU income inequalities and worker rights among member states.

It was someone at Airbus IIRC who said it best. To paraphrase,'When we are successful, we are all Europeans. When we are not, we are French, German, Italian, British, Spanish...'

Sure the US can degrade the GPS system as they wish. So can the ESA as it suits their needs. You may not like the leader of the US or his actions at the moment. Don't dare to assume we all support those actions. Don't diminish an entire people based upon one part of history. Otherwise, we can all be quite comfortable lambasting Germany and the EU for the Holocaust, can't we.

[blind link @ May 12th 2007 12:46AM]

uhhh, how do we tell you this?...the russians have had a global positioning system in orbit for more than a decade. its called GLONAST. its the chinese that are abandoning their association with the euro system for a constellation their own.

[art @ May 17th 2007 5:46PM]

The European Commission today adopted a communication on the state of play of the Galileo programme in response to a request from the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. The Commission notes that the Galileo roadmap needs adapting to meet the deadline of 2012 by when Galileo should be fully operable. The public-private partnership set up to implement Galileo needs to be reprofiled to enable Galileo to be brought into service in 2012.

"Europe needs a satellite radio navigation system as part of its essential infrastructure for crucial applications such as border control, transport logistics, financial operations and the surveillance of critical energy and communications infrastructures. The Commission is doing everything it can to guarantee its success", said Jacques Barrot, Commission Vice-President responsible for transport. "Galileo will make a major contribution to Community policies, and embodies Europe's ambitions in space, technology and innovation", he added.

Satellite radio navigation is a technology which enables users to pinpoint their location anywhere in the world at any moment in time.

The European Galileo satellite radio navigation system consists of a constellation of 30 satellites in orbit at an altitude of 24 000 km offering five different services.

Work on the European satellite radio navigation programmes, Galileo and Egnos[1], has reached a crossroads, and a political choice now has to be made on how to implement them.

The lack of progress in the negotiations on the concession contract, which provided for the deployment and management of the infrastructure by the private sector, is posing a serious threat to the completion of the project. The Council (Transport Ministers) which met on 22 March 2007 therefore asked the Commission to let it have, before its next meeting in June, a detailed report setting out the progress made in the negotiations with the consortium applying for the concession and alternative scenarios for the rapid deployment of the space infrastructure. The Commission's conclusion is that the present roadmap, which provides for the involvement of the private sector at an early stage, will not enable the project to be completed within the desired timeframe and that this is likely to lead to considerable extra costs for the private sector. The Commission proposes adapting the roadmap to enable the timetable and costs to be monitored more closely and to give the satellite radio navigation applications and services industries a greater sense of security as to when Galileo signals will actually become available. The Commission shows that the most beneficial, the most realistic and, in the long term, the most economic option will be for all the initial infrastructure to be put in place while being piloted and financed by the public sector. In contrast, the operation of the system will be entrusted to a private concession holder.

The Commission calls on the EU Member States to take the necessary decisions in terms of policy, finance and programme management to enable the project to be completed as soon as possible and to meet the needs of satellite navigation market users.

Satellite radio navigation applications will provide numerous applications for everyday life, from vehicle guidance to the safety of transport, including commercial applications (banking, geology, public works, energy, etc). Satellite radio navigation is penetrating all layers of society. Galileo is therefore about the ordinary citizen.

For more information about Galileo, please see:

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/energy_transport/galileo/index_en.htm

http://www.esa.int/export/esaSA/navigation.html

[Orlov @ Mar 18th 2008 4:45AM]

Dear Sir

Attached please find my manuscript entitled "Foundation of vortex
gravitation, cosmology and cosmogony" I would like as you acquaint with it.
You can to explane accelerations cosmic flight of satelites "Galileo", "Rosette",
"Cassini". My theory can to make flight on Moon on 25-30% cheaply.

Look my article on

http://jvr.freewebpage.org/



I would like to receive your response.

Regards

Sergey Orlov

[Orlov @ Apr 4th 2008 9:07AM]

I know what is problem of satteliet navigation and gravitation.
Look abstact my research.


A hypothesis is proposed concerning the cause of the origin of universal gravitation. This cause consists in a system of the ether vortex rotations. Physical and mathematical grounds are described and the formula for the determination of the space gravitation forces is deduced. On the basis of the vortex gravitation, the principles of creation and existence of the celestial bodies are shown. Methods of the use of the vortex gravitation properties for the space flight projection are proposed.

Fool article read on site

http://jvr.freewebpage.org/

Sergey Orlov

[Orlov @ Apr 12th 2008 7:02AM]

o. k.