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.
Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Sweden the venue for 79 GHz Plenary Meeting
    May 2, 2012
    The 79 GHz consortium, which is holding its first Plenary Meeting in Borås, Sweden, next week on 10 May, 2012, has issued an invitation to the event. The 79 GHz support action was launched on 1 July 2011 with the aim of establishing an international platform to define, organise, coordinate and manage the worldwide activities of all the 79 GHz stakeholders.
    Read More
  • Virginia presses ahead with tunnels upgrade despite tolls challenge
    July 30, 2013
    David Crawford reviews current developments and legal/financial issues facing tunnel management in Virginia. This autumn the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in the US will defend its plan to introduce tolling on the Elizabeth River tunnels linking the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth in the State’s Hampton Roads area. The tolling, which is due to start from February 2014, will be examined by the State’s Supreme Court later this year. The anticipated toll income, along with loans and bonds, is
    Read More
  • EU accelerates connected vehicles
    January 25, 2016
    The European Commission, which plans a strategy on connected vehicles later this year, has released a report outlining how to ‘catch up’ on connected vehicles as other countries―like the US and Japan―speed ahead, says EurActiv. Following a series of meetings, industry representatives, public authorities and EU officials have agreed on a shared vision for the coordinated deployment of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) in Europe. This is an important step towards connected cars as C-ITS ena
    Read More
  • Improve efforts to develop alternative fuels infrastructure, say MEPs
    September 26, 2018
    The European Commission (EC) and member states need to ‘redouble efforts’ to boost the development of an alternative fuels infrastructure, say transport MEPs. The warning comes in a draft resolution from the Transport and Tourism Committee. Ismail Ertug, rapporteur, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, says: “Our initiative report urges the Commission to accelerate the revision of the directive, come up with strong infrastructure targets and more funding for a
    Read More

Highlighted Content