In its 15th edition, this year’s United Nations (UN) Space Week is highlighting the many benefits of satellite navigation to humankind. With its theme “Space: Guiding Your Way”, World Space Week in 2014 is focusing on the value of such Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) as EGNOS and Galileo.
World Space Week 2014 (4 – 10 October) is highlighting the benefits of satellite navigation, including EGNOS and Galileo, to humankind. In 2014, many improved and brand new Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) – Galileo, Third Generation GPS, Glonass and Beidou – are being rolled out. In parallel there is an enormous increase in satellite navigation applications across many areas, including road navigation, aviation, maritime, agriculture, and disaster recovery.
GNSS have changed the way we navigate. Not only does it help us locate planes, ships, cars, trains and people, but it also helps to improve agriculture and disaster management. During this decade, new GNSS are regularly being deployed, including Europe’s Galileo, Russian Glonass and Chinese Beidou satellite systems. This multi-constellation development is rapidly increasing the accuracy and scope of positioning and timing applications.
With its GNSS theme, World Space Week hopes to improve knowledge of the clear benefits that space technology brings to our daily lives.
Since its United Nations declaration in 1999, World Space Week has grown into the largest public space event on Earth. More than 1,400 events in 80 countries celebrated the benefits of space and excitement about space exploration in 2013. With the new satellite navigation theme “Space: Guiding Your Way”, organisers hope to inspire even more events around the world in the years to come.
World Space Week
World Space Week is held every year from 4 to 10 October. These dates commemorate the launch of Sputnik I, the first ever artificial satellite, on 4 October 1957, and the entering into force of the UN Outer Space Treaty on 10 October 1967.
The objective of World Space Week is to “increase awareness among decision makers and civil society of the benefits of the peaceful uses of space science and technology for sustainable development”. It is to be a “yearly celebration at the international level of the contribution that space science and technology can make to the betterment of the human condition”.
Every year World Space Week has a different theme, highlighting a specific angle of space science.
World Space Week events are held all over the world, in schools, universities, science centres, museums, at companies and in many other places. You can find out more at the World Space Week website, its dedicated Facebook page or follow World Space Week on Twitter.
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More information:
The European GNSS Agency
EGNOS Portal
World Space Week website
World Space Week on Facebook
World Space Week on Twitter