GPS World

Tag: Eutelsat satellite

  • EGNOS satellite upgrade strengthens European navigation services

    EGNOS satellite upgrade strengthens European navigation services

    The GEO-3 satellite Eutelsat 5 West B (PRN 121) is now part of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) operational platform and broadcasts the Operational Signal-in-Space.

    PRN 121 began broadcasting operational signals Aug. 25 as part of EGNOS System Release 2.4.3. The upgrade seeks to strengthen service continuity and prepare the system for future enhancements.

    The transition involved swapping satellite roles within the EGNOS constellation. On Sept. 5, the GEO-2 satellite ASTRA 5-B shifted from operational to test status, creating a new configuration with GEO-1 and GEO-3 handling operational duties while GEO-2 serves as the test platform.

    The changes will not disrupt service or affect coverage areas, officials said.

    “Eutelsat is proud of its long-standing collaboration with EUSPA,” said Arlen Kassighian, chief engineering officer of Eutelsat. “We are delighted to host this payload, which will continue to significantly enhance the performance of global navigation satellite systems across Europe in the coming years.”

    The system release represents preparation for EGNOS V3, the next-generation platform that will offer enhanced performance, improved robustness and dual-frequency multi-constellation capabilities for European satellite navigation services, according to Jean-Marc Pieplu, head of EGNOS Exploitation Department.

    The European Union Agency for the Space Programme manages the EGNOS space segment, system upgrades and service provision. The agency’s integration of the GEO-3 satellite ensures EGNOS continues providing reliable augmentation services for safety-critical and professional applications throughout Europe.

    Additional information is available in the EGNOS Service Notice.

  • GSA contracts with Eutelsat on next-gen EGNOS payload

    GSA contracts with Eutelsat on next-gen EGNOS payload

    The European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA) has selected Eutelsat Communications for the development, integration and operation of the next-generation EGNOS payload on a future Eutelsat satellite.

    Credit and copyright: GSA.
    Credit and copyright: GSA.

    Eutelsat and GSA have concluded a long-term contract valued at €102 million covering the preparation and service provision phases for the EGNOS GEO-3 payload that will be hosted on the Eutelsat 5 West B satellite that is due for launch end of 2018.

    The new payload marks a replenishment of current EGNOS capacity and is scheduled to start service in 2019 for a duration of 15 years.

    With the addition of the EGNOS payload, Eutelsat is further optimizing the Eutelsat 5 West B satellite that was commissioned in October 2016 on a design-to-cost basis from Airbus Defence and Space and Orbital ATK. Airbus Defence and Space is building the satellite’s commercial Ku-band payload and the EGNOS payload while the platform is being manufactured by Orbital ATK.

    The EGNOS GEO-3 payload on Eutelsat 5 West B will comprise two L-band transponders that will act as an augmentation, or overlay to GNSS messages. Data from GNSS measurements received by an interconnected ground network of positioning stations across Europe will be transferred to a central computing centre where differential corrections and integrity messages will be calculated and then broadcast by Eutelsat 5 West B to users.

    The new payload will be the first step towards the deployment of the EGNOS next generation, EGNOS V3. This new generation of EGNOS will augment both Galileo and GPS and is planned to be qualified by 2022. EGNOS V3 will provide a higher level of performance and robustness than the current EGNOS legacy services, as required by the growing use and reliance on such services.

    Established in 1977, Eutelsat Communications specializes in communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 39 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies.