First Galileo satellites to be launched with signing of contracts07 January 2010The European Commission today announced the awarding of three contracts to launch the first batch of 14 satellites for Europe’s Galileo global navigation satellite system.  At a press conference in Brussels, Antonio Tajani, European Commission Vice-President in charge of Transport, announced that ThalesAleniaSpace of Italy has been awarded the contract for system support services. OHB System AG of Germany has been awarded the contract for the order of the first 14 Galileo satellites while the contract for launch services goes to Arianespace of France. The contracts will allow Galileo to be launched early in 2014 along with three of the five services to be provided through the global navigation satellite system (GNSS). “With this and the upcoming awards for the remaining procurement packages, we are concluding a critical phase of the Galileo programme,” Commissioner Tajani said. “We can now focus on the actual roll-out and demonstrate to European citizens that Europe’s own satellite navigation system is firmly underway.” Better navigational accuracy When fully deployed, Galileo will consist of up to 32 satellites in space and an associated ground infrastructure. It will be interoperable with GPS and GLONASS, the two other GNSS currently in operation, but offers more advantages. Galileo will have greater navigation accuracy, up to a few centimetres, due to the inherent characteristics of the system and the number of satellites deployed to cover the globe. It will provide a better availability of positioning services, including in major cities where the signals can sometimes be blocked by buildings and in European regions further north, said the Commissioner. Galileo will also offer greater reliability, due to a signal integrity feature, which can be used by the aviation sector and other business areas where ensuring safety of life is primary. The integrity feature provides an alarm warning when the system cannot be used for accurate navigation. Contract details The contract with ThalesAleniaSpace, worth €85 million, covers the provision of industrial services to support the European Space Agency with the integration and the validation of the Galileo system. The contract with OHB for the first order of 14 satellites is worth €566 million. Last month the Commission signed a framework contract for the provision of Galileo’s satellites with both OHB System AG and EADS-Astrium GmBH. The remaining satellites will be procured in subsequent work orders, each time from either OHB or EADS-Astrium GmBH depending on which company provides the most advantageous offer. The strategy of double sourcing lowers risks, particularly in terms of scheduled delivery dates, and increases flexibility, Tajani said. The €397 million contract with Arianespace covers the launch of five Soyuz launchers from Kourou, French Guiana, with each carrying two satellites. The first launch is scheduled for October 2012 and will be followed by four to five launches per year. The contracts are expected to be signed in the next few weeks between the three companies and the European Space Agency, acting on behalf of the European Commission. The first two operational satellites are scheduled to be launched this year. In 2011 another two will be launched. From 2012 two satellites will be launched every three months. Galileo is estimated to provide about €90 billion in economic benefits to Europeans between 2010 and 2027. The total cost of constructing Galileo is estimated at about €7 billion. The Commission expects to award the three remaining procurement contracts for constructing Galileo – for the ground mission infrastructure, the ground control infrastructure and related operations – by mid-2010, Tajani said. Galileo will provide five navigation services. The Open Service, the Public Regulated Service and the Search and Rescue Service will be launched in early 2014. The Safety-of-Life Service and the Commercial Service will be tested in 2014 and will be provided as Galileo reaches full operational capability. Galileo is a joint initiative of the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Supervisory Authority (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 do republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu). More information: |