ComNav Technology’s K8 series GNSS modules can use the Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) precise-point positioning (PPP). The PVT algorithm upgrade to the K8 series module supports Galileo HAS with an accuracy of 20 cm horizontally and 40 cm vertically.
Galileo HAS provides free access to information necessary to estimate accurate positioning using a PPP algorithm in real-time through the Galileo signal E6-B and an internet connection. Galileo HAS Initial Service was declared on January 24, enabling users within the service area to achieve improved positioning performance.
The improved performance capabilities provide a higher level of accuracy for industries such as UAV, autonomous driving, intelligent transportation, agriculture and GIS collection.
In 2022, the Galileo GNSS continued to provide the world’s most precise satellite navigation information, to a user base that stands at more than 3.5 billion worldwide. Furthermore, provided services continue to improve and expand, with plans for high-accuracy positioning and signal authentication now reaching fruition.
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) continue to enjoy an effective collaboration on the many development, deployment, and evolution activities of the Galileo Programme — each according to their respective responsibilities for service provision and system development with the European Commission (EC) acting as the program manager.
Ranging accuracy performance from January to September 2022.Positioning-related MPLS from January to October 2022.
New Services Launched in 2022
Excellent Performance
Service delivery operations and maintenance of operational systems are managed by EUSPA, which supervises many contracts that carry out the day-to-day activities from dedicated control and monitoring centers throughout Europe. In 2022, Galileo timing, navigation, and SAR/Galileo services were delivered with excellent performances that continue to exceed the formal declarations for minimum performance levels (MPL), which were increased in January, both in terms of absolute accuracy and overall service availability. The entry into service of two additional satellites in May and August, have further consolidated the overall service availability to end users.
Galileo FOC Batch 3 satellite under testing.
Expansion of Service Portfolio
The service provision teams have been able to focus on improvements to, and expansion of, the service portfolio.
The I/NAV improvement will positively impact end users by enabling a faster time to first fix, and updates to the data validity status flags will lead to better protection of users against expired navigation data. These changes are implemented in updates of the onboard software of the satellites being rolled out across the constellation. At present, seven operational satellites have been successfully updated; the complete software upgrade campaign is planned to be completed this summer.
Galileo’s new High Accuracy Service will provide free precise point positioning (PPP) corrections, in the Galileo E6-B data component and by terrestrial means, for Galileo and GPS (single and multi-frequency) to achieve real-time user position improved by up to 10 times. The infrastructure to support an initial service (Phase 1) is nearing completion, and the formal declaration of the service capabilities is planned for early this year.
To provide users with a method of authenticating the received Galileo signals, especially the satellites ephemerides and the Galileo timing parameters, the new Open ServiceNavigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) service enables a receiver to confirm that a navigation message originated from the EU Galileo infrastructure. Many application areas are expected to benefit from this capability, including smart tachographs, telematics and logistics, UAVs, location-based services, and timing services. Having successfully demonstrated the technology behind the service in 2022, including a public observation phase, the roll-out of the Initial Service is planned to take place by the end of the year.
A fourth Medium Earth Orbit Local User Terminal (MEOLUT) in La Réunion will extend the SAR/Galileo Forward Link Service Coverage Area over the Indian Ocean as part of the SAR/Galileo full operational capability (FOC) declaration expected in the first quarter of 2023. The Cospas-Sarsat commissioning of this new station was completed in September 2022, and operational data is already being distributed to Cospas-Sarsat.
Reference documents for the above services can be found at the EUSPA European GNSS Service Centre website, including technical notes, interface control documents and service declaration documents.
SAR/Galileo-related metrics from January to October 2022.Extension of the SAR/Galileo Forward Link Service Coverage Area over the Indian Ocean.
FOC Infrastructure Development Nears Completion
Satellite Production
The production of the third batch of Galileo FOC satellites advanced further in 2022 with the completion of the environmental tests and the system compatibility test campaigns at the European Space Agency Test Centre in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. After 10 years of successful testing, on Oct.18, 2022, the last Galileo FOC satellite (flight model number 34) left the test center to return to the premises of the satellite manufacturer, OHB Systems, in Germany. Testing of the remaining 10 satellites has confirmed that they have been correctly built and will perform well in orbit. The acceptance review of the last couple of satellites will take place this summer.
At the beginning of 2023, the plan is to start in-orbit testing of a quasi-pilot signal on the E5 frequency using the Galileo GSAT201/202 satellites in elliptical orbit. The provision of a signal offering coarse acquisition in Galileo E5-A/GPS L5 can be a distinguishing feature for Galileo with respect to all other constellations to further improve the capability to acquire the E5 signal at low complexity. Following in-orbit testing, the strategy for roll-out of this capability will be assessed with the involvement of receiver manufacturers.
New SAR Galileo MEOLUT facility in Réunion island.
Access to Space
The discontinuation of Soyuz launch services from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana, because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, has caused delays in the two Galileo launches that had been planned for 2022. The Launch 12 campaign had to be interrupted and in March 2022 the FM25 and 26 satellites were put in storage at the Kourou launch base, then returned to Europe in November.
Ariane 6 is the baseline launcher for Galileo satellites to ensure European independent access to space. The remaining Batch 3 satellites will be launched with the Ariane 62 launcher vehicle, the two strap-on solid booster variants of Ariane 6, now undergoing the final stages of development led by prime contractor Ariane Group. Ariane 6’s maiden flight is scheduled to take place in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Ground Segment
An upgrade of the ground control segment, in charge of command and control of the satellite constellation, is being developed by the industrial consortium led by GMV. The upgrades will address resolution of hardware and software obsolescence including cyber security, operability improvements, and a security monitoring overlay.
With the planned increase in the number of satellites in orbit, an additional telemetry tracking and control facility (TTCF) is being deployed in Kourou leading to seven operational TTCF stations in early 2023.
The ground mission segment, in charge of navigation control, is undergoing a complete technological refresh, including hardware/software virtualization performed by an industrial consortium led by Thales France. This upgrade will provide additional robustness, including a system extended contingency mode resilient to outages lasting up to seven days and a new state-of-the-art cyber security monitoring system. It will also provide ranging authentication through encrypted codes on the E6-C signal component for the implementation of the Commercial Authentication Service. Global coverage will be further increased with the introduction of two Galileo sensor stations in Wallis (Pacific Ocean) and Bonaire (Caribbean Sea), for a total of 15 sites around the globe.
OSNMA-related metrics from January to October 2022.
G2G Development Started
Galileo’s second generation (G2G) will introduce many innovative technologies to offer unprecedented precision, robustness, and flexibility.
2022 was a key year for the evolution of G2G activities with the fast development cycles of the first batch of G2 satellites, beginning development of the associated G2G in orbit validation (IOV) ground segment and system test beds, and the consolidation of the G2G final system capabilities — including the coordination of the mission/service roadmaps with the EC, EUSPA, and the EU Member States delegates.
Ariane 62 launcher.
G2G Satellite Manufacturing
From the satellite development point of view, the two parallel contracts to develop and manufacture each of the six G2G batch one (G2SB1) satellites are progressing in a fast development environment, with the first hardware units ready for integration and testing.
Following the completion of preliminary design review, these two contracts (for six satellites each) are preparing for unit-level validation/testing, which will lead to the critical design review.
These satellites will provide the following key innovations:
Reconfigurable fully digital navigation payload
Point-to-point connection between satellites by inter-satellite-link for command and control, and ranging functionalities
Electric propulsion for orbit-raising capabilities
Advanced jamming and spoofing protection mechanisms to safeguard.
The Galileo signals will improve with:
On-board authentication capabilities
Increased ground-to-space data rate
Improved time reference (number of clocks and advanced clock monitoring functions).
G2G IOV Procurements
2022 was also the year in which two key events took place with respect to G2G in-orbit validation (IOV) ground segment and system test bed procurements:
Finalization of the procurement cycle, now in the final evaluation/award phase, to be kicked off in the first quarter of this year
Confirmation of the IOV design through different coordinated actions with the EC and EUSPA, including the G2 system preliminary design review.
The contracts will provide Europe with the following capabilities:
G2SB1 satellite launch and early orbit phase, in-orbit testing and enhanced legacy services provision
G2 new capabilities in-orbit validation, including prototyping and validation of all the novel technologies that can exploit the full capabilities of the G2SB1 satellites.
Eleven contracts will be issued to manage in synchrony all the G1 and G2 assets for the coming years:
G2 IOV ground control segment (G2 GCS) for satellites monitoring and control
G2 IOV ground mission segment/secured facility (G2 GMS-GSF) for the production, dissemination and monitoring of all enhanced legacy services and the dissemination of new G2 advanced capabilities for validation
G2 IOV security monitoring (G2 SECMON), for the cyber/security monitoring of the system
G2 filling device (G2 FD), to ensure proper initialization of system assets
G2 system test bed (G2STB), to generate and monitor new G2 capabilities for validation of the G2G mission/services
G2 PRS test bed (G2PRSTB), similar to G2 system test bed but focused on advanced PRS capabilities for validation purposes
G2 security chain (G2SC), a test bed to ensure proper satellite-ground segment qualification before launch
Four system engineering support contracts (G2 SETA), where the main GNSS technical experts from different industries in Europe provide their support to ESA and EUSPA in their different fields of expertise.
These contracts are complemented by a significant set of system research and development and test tools, such as test user receivers and radio frequency constellation simulators.
G2G batch number one (G2SB1) satellites.
Galileo Second Generation System PDR
The Galileo Programme is not only focusing on short-term G2G development activities, but also looking forward to the future in terms of the consolidation and definition of G2G final operation capabilities. During the second half of 2022, more than 200 public representatives from the EC, EUSPA, ESA and Member States held countless meetings in the frame of the G2G system preliminary design review, which concluded in early December 2022.
As part of this review, the long-term implementation (G2G in orbit capability, or IOC, and final operational capability, or FOC) was reviewed and an agreement was reached on future steps. The evolution of Galileo capabilities will not only provide better services through advanced technical solutions, but will also ensure continuity of service and enhanced backward compatibility for first-generation legacy users.
Conclusions
The efforts of ESA and EUSPA continue with the aim of providing users continuous and stable services and evolving space and ground infrastructure to maintain Galileo competitiveness with the other global navigation satellite systems.
For analogous updates on the other three GNSS constellations, please see:
To paraphrase Galileo Galilei — the great Italian astronomer, philosopher, engineer, mathematician and physicist — positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) does not revolve around GPS. The European GNSS named after the father of modern science (as Albert Einstein called him) is making great strides and currently provides more accurate positioning than the United States’ GPS, Russia’s GLONASS, or China’s BeiDou-3. In fact, there are more Galileo satellites providing an L5 signal than GPS satellites.
I heard much well-earned pride about Galileo’s achievements expressed by European presenters at the Institute of Navigation’s GNSS+ conference in Denver in September; during a visit to the European Commission’s Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy, on Oct. 7; and at the INTERGEO conference and trade show in Essen, Germany, on Oct. 18-20. (On the way, I stayed several days in Pisa, Italy — where I spent my teen years when my father taught physics at the city’s university — at a friend’s home about 100 feet away from the house where Galileo was born in 1564.)
While two more launches are required to complete the Galileo constellation so that it will have at least one spare satellite per plane, its service availability is already at 98-99% and a new ground segment has been deployed. A second generation of satellites is on its way, with expected initial operational capability in 2028 and full operational capability starting after 2031. Its features will include new signals, improved effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP), inter-satellite links, and a 15-year lifespan.
The Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA), a free data authentication function for users of Galileo’s Open Service, has been stably transmitted worldwide for a year. It will enable users to verify the authenticity of GNSS data, thereby greatly helping to detect instances of spoofing. A declaration of initial service is foreseen for 2023, and the first OSNMA-capable receivers are already on the market.
Galileo’s High Accuracy Service (HAS) signal has been available worldwide with orbit and clock corrections and biases for Galileo and GPS since July 22. While it is still in its validation phase, it is already performing very well and an initial service declaration is expected by the end of the year, including an Internet-based correction distribution service.
Galileo is also developing an emergency warning service that will use the L1 band to broadcast alerts and guidance to populations at risk of natural disasters. It is expected to enter service in 2024 and reach any Galileo-enabled device, of which there are already about three billion. Other services will include advanced timing, space service volume (to aid in the positioning and navigation of spacecraft in high-Earth orbits), advanced receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (ARAIM), and predictions of ionospheric perturbations.
Like so much else, completion of the Galileo constellation was affected by Russia’s war in Ukraine, because two launches planned for this year from French Guyana aboard Russian Soyuz rockets were scrapped.
Finally, one of my favorite quotes from Galileo: “Measure what can be measured and make measurable what cannot yet be measured.”
The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is set to launch a new Fundamental Elements call, with a dedicated online workshop June 30. The workshop is an opportunity to learn about the new call and hear from successful projects funded during the last call.
Fundamental Elements is a research and development funding mechanism designed to support the development of innovative chipset, antenna and receiver technologies in which industry would not yet invest on its own initiative. In doing so, the program helps accelerate the integration of European GNSS (EGNSS) into market-ready devices and solutions.
Projects funded by Fundamental Elements play a key role in EUSPA’s mission of driving the development and market uptake of Galileo-enabled receivers. For example, the GEARS project, which was funded during the initial call, developed a super accurate and highly robust Galileo-enabled receiver capable of providing both time and frequency data for critical infrastructure.
The new Fundamental Elements call builds on success of projects by:
integrating Galileo’s key differentiators into receiver technologies, including OSNMA, high-accuracy frequency, triple frequency, Early Warning Service, CAS and ARAIM
leveraging disruptive technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence
exploring potential synergies with Copernicus and the forthcoming GovSatCom.
More details about these points and the call in general will be made available during EUSPA’s upcoming Fundamental Elements online Workshop via Webex. Scheduled for June 30, the workshop will include in-depth information on the funding program and the application process.
The event will also feature project teams funded during the first Fundamental Elements call, who will share their experiences, best practices and advice for putting together a successful project.
EUSPA’s mission is to link space to user needs. Over the past year, EUSPA has increased access to EU space data and services around the world, launched new Galileo satellites, and put in place additional satellite navigation services.
EUSPA operates Europe’s satellite navigation systems Galileo and EGNOS. It is also the gatekeeper to a secure EU Space Programme, providing end users with the confidence of knowing that the space-derived data they depend on is safe and secure.
The agency plays a central role in the market uptake of the data and services offered by the EU Space Programme components. EUSPA also manages the development of GOVSATCOM hubs, which will provide secure, cost-efficient communication capabilities to security and safety-critical governmental missions, operations and infrastructure.
the entry into service of a new Galileo satellite for additional accuracy to end-users
publishing the EO and GNSS Market Report, a comprehensive market intelligence study providing trends for the entrepreneurs and investors.
3.1 billion Galileo-enabled smartphones sold globally since 2016.
“I am more than proud of what EUSPA has achieved in a year. I am also proud to be at the helm of an organization staffed with dedicated professionals, with a service-oriented mindset who work to make EU Space accessible to citizens,’’ said Rodrigo da Costa, EUSPA executive director. “EUSPA remains committed to helping the union and its citizens maximize the socio-economic benefits of space.”
The European GNSS Agency (GSA), with the European Commission, has published an information note on the Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS). The 16-page document provides an overview of the main characteristics of the service, information on features such as service levels, target performance, an implementation roadmap, and an overview of the target markets for the service.
Target markets for Galileo HAS include geomatics, precision agriculture, consumer solutions and the space sector.
The market for high-accuracy positioning is dynamic, driven by various factors, including
emerging applications such as autonomous vehicles and drones;
technological advances such as dual-frequency chipsets for the mass-market; and
the market situation, with cheap or free-of-charge augmentation services available in some countries.
These factors are resulting in the democratization of high accuracy, which is becoming a more widespread commodity, rather than the exclusive domain of professional applications.
With the Galileo HAS, Galileo will pioneer a worldwide, free high-accuracy positioning service aimed at applications that require higher performance than that offered by the Galileo Open Service.
Benefitting several markets
Target markets for the HAS include geomatics, agriculture or consumer solutions. Transport is also a major potential target market, with possible applications in aviation, road, rail and maritime and inland waterways.
In these markets, the HAS will provide high-accuracy precise point positioning corrections for Galileo and GPS free of charge, in the Galileo E6-B data component and by terrestrial means, to achieve real-time improved user positioning performances, with a positioning error of less than two decimetres in nominal conditions.
“With its High Accuracy Service, Galileo will be the first satellite constellation able to provide a high-accuracy precise point positioning service globally, directly through the Signal in Space,” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa. “This will be another key differentiator of the Galileo system, giving it a competitive advantage over other systems and allowing it to foster innovation in both consolidated and emerging markets.”
Galileo HAS high-level architecture. (Image: GSA)
HAS Initial Service
HAS Phase 1 will cover the provision of an initial Galileo HAS resulting from the implementation of a high-accuracy data-generation system that processes Galileo data only.
Phase 2 will see full provision of the Galileo HAS, meeting its target performance of 20-cm worldwide positioning accuracy after 2024.
Through the HAS, Galileo will offer a unique service with the transmission of corrections directly via Galileo satellites, allowing free high-accuracy positioning globally, for everyone.
By William Roberts, Joshua Critchley-Marrows, Marco Fortunato, Maria Ivanovici, Nottingham scientific Ltd., Karel Callewaert, Thiago Tavares, VVA Brussels, Laurent Arzel and Axelle Pomies, Telespazio France
The FLAMINGO initiative is developing the infrastructure, solutions and services to enable use of accurate, precise GNSS in the mass-market, operating predominantly in an urban environment. Whilst mass-market receivers are yet to achieve accuracies below one meter for standard positioning, the introduction of Android raw GNSS measurements and the Broadcom dual frequency chipset present such an opportunity.
FLAMINGO will enable high-accuracy positioning and navigation information on devices such as smartphones and internet of things (IoT) devices by producing a service delivering accuracies of 50 cm (at 95 percent) and better, employing multi-constellation, PPP and RTK mechanisms, power consumption optimisation techniques.
Whereas the Galileo High Accuracy Service targets 10-cm precision for professional users, FLAMINGO targets 50-cm precision for consumers. With accuracies of a few decimetres, a range of improved and new applications in diverse market sectors are introduced, including, but are not limited to, mapping and GIS, autonomous vehicles, augmented reality environments, location-based gaming and people tracking.
To obtain such high accuracies with mass market devices, FLAMINGO must overcome several challenges which are technical, operational and environmental. This includes the hardware capabilities of most mass-market devices, where components such as antennas and processors are prioritised for other purposes. We demonstrate that, despite these challenges, FLAMINGO has the potential to meet the accuracy required. Tests with the current smartphones that provide access to multi-constellation raw measurements (the dual-frequency Xiaomi Mi 8 and single-frequency Samsung S8 and Huawei P10) demonstrate significant improvements to the PVT solution when processing using both RTK and PPP techniques. Check out more information here.
