Galileo is already tested!

On December 1, 2012, the testing ground station located in the heart of the Ardennes forest in Belgium received the first test signal from the FM3 satellite put into orbit in the process of forming the European navigation system, Galileo. FM3 and FM4 satellites were sent into orbit in October and joined two satellites launched a year earlier. Galileo global navigation satellite system (GNSS) will be an alternative to the American GPS (Global Positioning System) and Russian GLONASS GNSS. It should be more accurate, and above all, independent from military forces.

The first signal was transmitted by the satellite in band E1 (1559-1591 MHz), also used by GPS. Then, the satellite transmitted signals in the other bands that are to be ultimately used by the Galileo system, E5 (1164-1215 MHz) and E6 (1260-1300 MHz). According to the schedule, subsequent satellites will be launched and tested in the beginning of 2013. The system should become functional by the end of 2014, with 14-18 orbiting satellites.

 

Galileo is a joint project of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission (EC). The satellites will be deployed in three orbital planes at an altitude of 23 222 km and inclination angle of 56º in relation to the equator. The final system is to have 30 orbiting satellites (27 operational and three spare). The completion of the system is planned for 2020. At the moment, there are four satellites, which is the absolute minimum necessary for testing the efficiency of the system. 

The concept of operation of the Galileo system includes two ground operations centers, in Fucino, Italy, and in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich (Germany), plus the Safety of Life Center in Madrid for applications where guaranteed precision of time and position is of critical importance, working 24/7 and responsible for rescue operations. The headquarters of the EU Satellite Navigation Agency is Prague.

The advantage of the Galileo system will also be the interoperability with GPS and GLONASS, two other global satellite navigation systems, as well as with other, non-navigation systems. The integration with GSM/UMTS/LTE infrastructure could revolutionize the telecommunications market by offering new services. The simultaneous use of Galileo and GPS will significantly increase the availability of satellite navigation signals in highly urbanized areas (coverage up to 95% of the areas compared with the current 50%). Wider bandwidth and higher power of Galileo transmitters in relation to GPS circuitry will allow the use of satellite navigation in buildings and some tunnels.