Skip to main content

October take off for Galileo satellites

The launch of the first two operational satellites of the EU's global navigation satellite system will take place on 20 October, the European Commission has announced. This is just the first of a series of launches due to take off from Europe's Space Port in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch of the Galileo satellites at an altitude of 23,600km will lead to the provision of initial satellite navigation services in 2014. Successive launches will complete the constellation by 2019.
May 16, 2012 Read time: 1 min
The launch of the first two operational satellites of the EU's global navigation satellite system will take place on 20 October, the 1690 European Commission has announced. This is just the first of a series of launches due to take off from Europe's Space Port in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch of the Galileo satellites at an altitude of 23,600km will lead to the provision of initial satellite navigation services in 2014. Successive launches will complete the constellation by 2019.

The decision to fix the date of the first launch follows a detailed assessment review under the chairmanship of the European Space Agency. It concluded that the space and ground segment components as well as operational preparedness are progressing according to schedule.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Richard Butter introduces ‘smarter, more innovative’ Intertraffic
    April 5, 2016
    Intertraffic Amsterdam 2016 is bigger, smarter, more innovative, more connected, and more relevant than ever before, as Richard Butter, domain manager for Intertraffic Worldwide Events, explains.
  • Funding to modernise key areas of Sofia’s urban transport system
    April 19, 2012
    The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is planning to provide the Bulgarian capital of Sofia with a series of loans to support the modernisation of the city’s public transport system. The financial package of four loans worth a total of €24.96 million (US$35.6 million) will increase the quality, safety, accessibility and also the energy efficiency of transportation in the city.
  • EU support for sharing field operational test data
    December 13, 2013
    The European Commission has granted funding of US$1.9 million of the total budget of US$2.5 million for the FOT-Net Data project, which aims to make traffic data collected in field operational tests (FOTs) more widely available to researchers. The three-year project will start in January 2014. The EU has supported a number of projects since 2008, enabling testing of the latest vehicle information technology in large-scale field trials. Drivers have been able to test the most promising prototypes or produ
  • Developments in smarter multi-modal fare paynment
    February 2, 2012
    This section pulls together all the multi-modal topics in each issue. Subject matter will include smartcards; ticketing and payment systems; passenger information systems; fleet management for buses, trains and light rail; park and ride systems; on-line access to real-time information via Internet portals