GPS World

Tag: Galileo headquarters

  • Galileo Satellite Navigation Agency Moved to Prague

    Galileo Satellite Navigation Agency Moved to Prague

    Credits: Astrium/Raoul Kieffer
    Credits: Astrium/Raoul Kieffer

    On September 6, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) inaugurated its new premises in Prague, Czech Republic, in the presence of Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, in charge of Industry and Enterprise, and Minister of Transport Pavel Dobeš. Previously headquartered provisionally in Brussels, the headquarters of the Galileo program moved its seat to Prague over this summer, as had been agreed by the EU heads of state and government on December 10, 2010.

    Galileo is expected to be partly operational by the end of 2014.

    Tajani said two satellites will be launched in October, and beginning in 2013 four more Galileo satellites will be launched every six months until the network of 30 is completed in 2020.

    Credits: Astrium/Raoul Kieffer
    Galileo In-Orbit Validation satellites Flight Model 3 and 4 being worked on at the Guiana Space Centre on 27 August 2012. Multi-layer insulation is being applied to FM3. (Credits: Astrium/Raoul Kieffer)

    GSA ensures security of satellites and prepares ground for new GNSS products. The agency is responsible for a number of implementation tasks for the European Satellite Navigation programmes Galileo and EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), which are managed by the European Commission. Its two main tasks are:

    • Security (security accreditation of satellites, launchers, and sites, and the operation of the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre), and
    • Market Development for the European satellite navigation systems (for example, see MEMO/12/601, New products and services possible using Internet access to satellite navigation data).

    Additionally, the GSA has been assigned other tasks by the commission by delegation, for instance promoting GNSS applications and services, supporting the development of a Public Regulated Service (PRS) and preparing the exploitation of the GNSS systems.

    Security of Galileo Programme. The GSA’s security accreditation activities are of key importance for the satellite launches. After a successful first launch of two satellites on October 21, 2011, the “In-Orbit Validation” phase will be accomplished with a second launch of two satellites on October 10, 2012. From 2013 on, the deployment of the satellite infrastructure will continue faster, with several launches per year until the full constellation of 30 satellites (which includes six in-orbit spares) is reached before the end of the decade.

    Future role of the GSA. A commission proposal for revising the GNSS Regulation, which is now before Parliament and Council, foresees that operational responsibility for the GNSS Programmes will be gradually transferred from the European Commission to the GSA over the next multi-annual financial framework (2014-2020). This process will start with EGNOS in 2014, and already a number of preparatory tasks have been allocated to the GSA, including the procurement for the future operations of EGNOS.

    To carry out these new functions, the GSA’s staff is expected to increase over the coming years from about 60 today to more than 180 by the end of next financial framework in 2020.

    The Budget. The GSA has an annual budget of about €12,750 million (2012). In addition, it manages the budget for activities that are entrusted to it under delegation from the European Commission. These amount to €34.4 million for exploitation activities.

    According to the commission’s calculations, a total budget of € 7000 million is necessary to complete the deployment phase of the Galileo programmes and finance the exploitation phase of the GNSS programmes over the 2014-2020 period. The commission’s proposal for a new GNSS Regulation foresees that the GSA will manage the budget necessary to operate EGNOS and Galileo and ensure service provision. This budget will be assigned under a delegation agreement signed with the commission, a mechanism foreseen under the European Union’s Financial Regulation. Under this arrangement, the commission would remain responsible for the overall political supervision of the GNSS Programmes. However, the GSA would ensure the exploitation of the GNSS systems with the appropriate level of autonomy and authority.

    The Structure of the GSA. The GSA today is composed of a security department, a market development department, and an organizational entity charged with preparing the GSA’s future responsibilities in the management of the GNSS Programmes. In addition to a number of horizontal departments that ensure the agency’s functioning, the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre is an organizational component of the GSA.

  • Czechs Sign Agreement to Host Galileo Headquarters

    The Czech government signed an agrement January 27 with the European GNSS Agency (GSA) for Prague to host the headquarters of the Galileo system. The signing took place during the Galileo Application Congress Prague 2012.

    Paving the way for the Agency’s presence in the Czech Republic, the host agreement was jointly signed by Pavel Dobeš, minister of Transport, and Carlo des Dorides, executive director of the GSA, in the presence of Petr Nečas, prime minister of the Czech Republic and Antonio Tajani, vice president of the European Commission responsible for industry and entrepreneurship. The accord will see the GSA moved to Prague later this year.

    The Galileo Applications Congress in Prague drew experts from around Europe and around the world to discuss Galileo and possible services. representatives of the European Union, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the GSA discussed their future roles in Europe's GNSS programmes, Galileo and EGNOS. The event also took place against a backdrop of key changes in how Europe's flagship GNSS programmes are governed.

    "This is a good moment to take stock of where we are and where we are going with Galileo," said GSA Executive Director Carlo Des Dorides. "The focus is on the future, with an expanded mission for our Agency. What we can say now is that the future is bright; the market for new GNSS technologies and services, many of which you will hear about during this congress, will continue to grow, in spite of the current difficult economic conditions."

    Under the current European Commission proposal for a new GNSS governance arrangement, the GSA would be charged with the commercialisation and exploitation of Galileo and EGNOS services, including the operations of the Galileo security monitoring centers to be deployed in the UK and France. The Commission itself would provide the policy framework and political support, while ESA would provide the engineering competence. And while some details still need to be clarified, including how the interfaces between these three bodies would operate, most opinions seem to be moving quickly into line with the proposal.

    ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain said the measure of Galileo's success will not be in the number of satellites placed in orbit but in the quality of its services. "The very existence of the GSA as the service provider is a key to this success," he said. "Working to support the GSA, therefore, will also be ESA's objective, and we are committed to seeing this happen."