The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) has announced that as of June 1, the latest European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) payload is operational ahead of the first V3 test signals.
Launched onboard the EUTELSAT Hotbird 13G satellite in November 2022, the payload underwent a rigorous testing phase before entering service. It is expected to have a 15-year life span.
EGNOS V3 will augment both GPS and Galileo in the L1 and L5 bands. It is also set to provide additional satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) service capabilities through a new SBAS channel on L5 and will deliver increased EGNOS service availability within and beyond the EU, supporting a growing number of users.
Aviation has benefitted greatly from the EGNOS safety of life service. This has enabled better access to small and regional airports, increased safety, and facilitated more sustainable flight routes across Europe. Other industries, such as maritime and rail, also benefit from the EGNOS safety of life service.
In addition, with its Open Service, EGNOS increases the positioning accuracy for other land-based applications including precision farming, geomatics and land management.
About EGNOS
EGNOS is Europe’s regional SBAS. It is used to improve the performance of GPS and will augment Galileo from 2025 onwards. EGNOS was deployed to provide safety of life navigation services to aviation, maritime and land-based users.
The information provided by EGNOS improves the accuracy and reliability of GNSS positioning information while also providing a crucial integrity message. In addition, EGNOS also transmits an accurate time signal.
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) has released its first EO and GNSS Market Report, where EO stands for Earth observation. The report is the result of a collaboration between 15 EUSPA experts from various fields and market research companies supporting EUSPA, backed by more than 50 external experts who helped validate the market trends and the data. In his foreword to the report, Rodrigo da Costa, EUSPA’s executive director, wrote: “Since its inception, the report has established itself as the most authoritative reference document for information on the global GNSS market. It is regularly referenced by policymakers and business leaders around the world.”
EUSPA’s EO and GNSS Market Report combines market and application data into one report that provides global coverage of EO and GNSS applications across 17 different market segments: agriculture; aviation and UAVs; biodiversity, ecoystems and natural capital; climate services; consumer solutions, tourism and health; emergency management and humanitarian aid; energy and raw materials; environmental monitoring; fisheries and aquaculture; forestry; infrastructure; insurance and finance; maritime and inland waterways; rail; road and automotive; space; urban development and cultural heritage.
GNSS receiver shipments will grow continuously in the next decade, from 1.8 bn units in 2021 to 2.5 bn units by 2031. (All images courtesy of EUSPA)
Growth dominated by consumer solutions
Between 2021 to 2031, yearly shipments of GNSS receivers are projected to grow from 1.8 billion units to 2.5 billion units. The shipments will be dominated by the consumer solutions, tourism and health segments as the global sales of smartphones and wearables continues to increase.
The overall installed base will increase from 6.5 bn units in 2021 to 10.6 bn units by 2031.
The global installed base of GNSS devices in use is expected to reach more than 10 billion units by 2031 — dominated by consumer solutions, tourism and health, and road and automotive market segments, which will contribute to 98% of all devices in use. The global GNSS downstream market revenues, which covers both device sales and service-related revenues, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.2% over the next decade, reaching €492 billion by 2031. More than 82% of the revenue will be generated by value-added services. Beyond the mass markets, the markets of agriculture, urban development and cultural heritage, and infrastructure will be the main contributors to the global GNSS revenue stream.
The Asia-Pacific region continues to be at the top of the GNSS revenue market both for device sales and service revenues based on demand. The region is expected to increase its share of the global services revenues, nearing 46% by 2031; however, it will see a decline of its market share of device revenues. The Asia-Pacific region will be challenged by the upcoming markets of South America and the Caribbean, Non-EU27 Europe, the Middle East, and African regions.
The GNSS market
The report defines the GNSS market as activities in which GNSS-based positioning, navigation and/or timing is a significant enabler for functionality. The GNSS market is comprised of device revenues, revenues derived from augmentation and added-value services attributable to GNSS.
The aviation and UAV market is expected to have significant growth, increasing from 42 m units in 2021 to 49 m units by 2031.The global GNSS downstream market revenues from both device sales and services will grow from €199 bn in 2021 to €492 bn by 2031 with a CAGR of 9.2%. This growth is mainly generated through the revenues from added-value services.
Augmentation services include software products, digital maps and GNSS augmentation subscriptions. Added-value service revenues include data downloaded through cellular networks specifically to run location-based applications, the GNSS-attributable revenues of smartphone apps, subscription revenues from fleet management services, and UAV service revenues across a range of industries. For multi-function devices such as smartphones, the revenues include only the value of GNSS-functionality, not the full device price, so, a case-specific correction factor is used.
About the charts
Data on the charts presented in the report start from the year 2020 and are estimated, projected and subject to update in the next edition of EUSPA’s Market Report. Historical figures are actual numbers based on reliable sources, per EUSPA. These will change if the number of applications is expanded in future reports.
Source: EUSPA EO and GNSS Market Report ISSUE 1, copyright EU Agency for the Space Programme, 2022
On June 28-29, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) will host Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) Days for users, industry stakeholders, application developers and international experts to learn more about HAS. This event provides an opportunity for all attendees to discuss and share expectations of Galileo HAS, its challenges, and benefits.
Over two days, participants will learn more about the status of Galileo HAS, including current performance, evolution plans and key user applications. There will also be dedicated user sessions, including live demonstrations allowing participants to experiment the Galileo HAS capabilities.
In addition, participants will visit the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC), the single interface between the Galileo system and the users. The GSC is a center of expertise, knowledge sharing, custom performance assessment, information dissemination and support to the provision of value-added services enabled by the Galileo services.
The GSC hosts the high accuracy data generator, which computes the HAS orbit and clock corrections as well as the signal biases that are broadcast through the Galileo constellation and over the internet.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has adopted international standards for Galileo and future satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS). This is a milestone for the aviation industry, as the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) can now fully leverage the potential of satellite navigation services developed in Europe — in combination with GPS — to make air travel safer, more efficient, and more reliable.
Galileo will provide advanced navigation capabilities to aviation, improving the availability and reliability of services. The risk of loss or interference will be significantly reduced with a more accurate and secure signal for positioning and timing.
Additionally, the evolution to the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) v3 will augment Galileo and enable the use of its dual-frequency bands — E1 and E5, protected for aviation use — in combination with GPS. This enhances vertical guidance to enable precision approach and landing capabilities for all equipped aircraft across Europe.
The adoption of these international standards is a result of the work done by the European Commission Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, in partnership with EUSPA, DG-MOVE, European Aviation Safety Industry, the European Space Agency and in coordination with the EU Member States and their ANSPs.
Orolia, a Safran Electronics and Defense company, announced its Skydel GNSS simulation engine will support Galileo Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) simulation in the form of two-phased and separate solutions. These solutions will be available to users who have purchased simulation access to the Galileo constellation, which will be available in the next few months.
OSNMA is an emerging authentication service that allows GNSS receivers to verify the authenticity of received data to protect against potential jamming or spoofing attacks that can result in service disruptions, denial incidents and more.
The first solution is well-suited for most receiver integrators that want to test the OSNMA capability of a GNSS receiver with the official test vectors from the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). This solution will support the available official test vectors sample data, which supports the verification of OSNMA functionality implementation.
The second option will provide full flexibility in the configuration of the scenario as well as the OSNMA authentication parameters. It will be suitable for advanced users that test receivers in a wide range of edge and corner cases.
Available later in 2023, this phase will include the following elements in Skydel: authentication of the Galileo E1 OS navigation message, a new Skydel engine supporting OSNMA SIS ICD 1.0, support for the timed efficient stream loss-tolerant authentication protocol, and useful crypto material for running user-programmable simulation test scenarios.
This feature will be ready for future software updates in accordance with the next phases recommended by EUPSA.
GMV has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) to develop the Galileo second-generation system test bed (G2STB). The G2STB will provide ESA with a key system verification and validation facility in support of its role as Galileo system development prime, enabling a wide range of Galileo system monitoring, troubleshooting, prototyping and experimentation activities.
GMV will deliver four G2STB versions over five years. Among these modules, the G2 high accuracy service (HAS) data generator and monitor aims to improve the Galileo HAS that was declared operational in January.
Other early capabilities of the G2STB include an upgraded orbit determination and time synchronization facility — capable of processing inter-satellite link data, a time service monitoring module, an integrity support message generator, a signal authentication service, an authentication validation module, an emergency warning service module, an ISL simulator and a G2G message composer.
The G2STB project aims for a smooth transition from the Galileo first-generation to the second-generation, building onto the G1G legacy system tools. The G2STB is one of the key infrastructure elements that ESA is developing for the correct functioning of the Galileo second-generation satellites.
The G2STB will eventually replace and upgrade the capabilities of the two first-generation facilities, the Galileo system evaluation equipment and the time and geodetic validation facility (TGVF-X). The latter, developed and operated by GMV over the last decade, has played a key role in monitoring the Galileo signals and system validation activities during the Galileo exploitation phase. The TGVF-X is also contributing to the early validation of new capabilities and elements being rolled out in recent and upcoming Galileo System updates.
In parallel to the development phase, the G2STB will help upgrade the network of Galileo experimental sensor stations to process new signals and capabilities to ensure the availability of a G2-capable, worldwide, multi-constellation network of receivers and bit-grabbers — independent from the operational Galileo sensor stations.
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) has announced the winners of the first myEUspace track “Submission of an Idea.” This track consists of promising theoretical ideas that leverage EU space data and have high market potential. Winners received a cash prize of €10,000 each.
The myEUspace competition is open to teams from all EU Member States plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. The competition offers a total prize of nearly €1 million and provides support to entrepreneurs throughout the entire innovation cycle, from early-stage start-ups to scale-ups.
While the evaluation of the prototypes track is ongoing, the competition remains open for the last track, “Submission of Products.” Applications for the final track are due April 25.
Depending on the maturity of the solution at the time of submission, entrepreneurs can compete and win in three different innovation areas: “Space My Life,” “Our Green Planet” and “Dive in Deep Tech.”
See the full list of winners by area of innovation:
“Our Green Planet”
• Spillalert: Intuitive web interface for oil spills and blackwater tank detection
• BugBit: Risk analysis platform for predicting and alerting of bark beetle outbreaks
• Push4CleanAir: SaaS pollution monitoring platform
• Detritus: Online platform and mobile app for waste-crime detection
• Orioos: Autonomous robotic solution for monitoring woody perennial crops
• Vantu: Van-lifers companion app to discover “off the beaten track” sites to camp for the night
“Dive in Deep Tech”
• DeGenS: Decentralized space-to-ground data availability for artificial intelligence (AI) using blockchain
• Climate AI for Web3: Real-world portable climate API for virtual worlds powered by AI and satellite data
• Latitudo Supersar: AI analysis, classification and interpretation of multi-sensor and multi-mission images
• WhisperCash: Person to person payments via satellite for isolated regions
• Kyck: Geospatial metaverse platform for exploring and sharing AR experiences in the physical world
“Space My Life”
• Foremca: Cryptographic methodology providing forensic digital proof
• MicroPURA: Microbial Purity to detect levels of microbial contamination in the air
• Space4CC: Monitoring actions to safeguard cultural heritage in conflict areas
• Oasis City Lab: AI tool to track urban threats
The European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA) has signed a framework contract entrusting France’s space agency with providing Galileo search-and-rescue (SAR) services. The 137 million euro 10-year contract includes maintaining assets in operational condition, coordinating with the host sites and interfacing with the Cospas-Sarsat community.
Image: EUSPA
The National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) has been responsible for operations of SAR-Galileo services for the European Union since 2016, providing the SAR-Galileo Forward Link Service and the Return Link Service. The coordination of operations and maintenance of the ground segment, deployed across Europe, is headquartered at the space center in Toulouse, France.
A network of reference beacons enables evaluation of the performance of the systems in real-time. CNES also provides its expertise to EUSPA for the definition of international standards, performance monitoring and future developments.
Emergency position-indicating radio beacon-based services is an addition to the framework contract. CNES has already been identified as the future operator of the Emergency Warning Service, an alert service for European communities scheduled to begin operations in 2024.
Thales Alenia Space is a joint company between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%).
EGNOS enhances the accuracy, reliability and integrity of positioning signals by improving the performance of GNSS. For instance, the EGNOS safety-of-life service is used in aviation for landings, enabling precision approaches at European airports without requiring ground guidance systems. The service has significantly improved operational safety and efficiency for European aviation.
Thales Alenia Space will build on its expertise in engineering, development, testing and maintenance of the existing EGNOS, along with its current development of EGNOS V2, to provide maintenance of the EGNOS V2 system for EUSPA and the European Union satellite navigation community from 2023 to 2026.
Thales Alenia Space will provide operational support and servicing in case of incidents — especially hardware and software troubleshooting and repairs — to deliver optimal 24/7 support for EGNOS. In addition, it will provide the upgraded or modified versions needed to ensure safety-of-life service.
The high-accuracy service (HAS) offered by Galileo is now available and provides sub-meter accuracy over most of the globe. It will help enable emerging technologies such as UAVs and autonomous vehicles, which require stringent levels of accuracy for better navigation, safety and efficient traffic management.
Other industries expected to benefit include transportation, agriculture, geodesy and entertainment.
Thierry Breton, European commissioner for Internal Market, announced that the service was now live during the annual European Space Conference in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 24.
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) developed Galileo HAS along with the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA). The new service will become a pillar of government programs such as EU sectorial policies and national policies by EU Member States.
“This new service has been made possible thanks to the outstanding cooperation and team commitment of all involved partners,” said Rodrigo da Costa, EUSPA executive director.
“Galileo is not standing still,” said Javier Benedicto, ESA director of navigation. “This new High Accuracy Service offers a new dimension of precision to everyone who needs it, while the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication — already available — allows users to authenticate Galileo signals as they make use of it, to minimize any risk of spoofing. An upgraded integrity message of the signal rolled out last year reduces the time to first fix while enhancing the overall robustness of Galileo.”
Galileo HAS delivers horizontal accuracy down to 20 cm and vertical accuracy of 40 cm in nominal use conditions, according to ESA. The service is transmitted directly via the Galileo signal in space (E6-B) and through the internet.
With HAS, Galileo becomes the first constellation worldwide able to provide a high-accuracy service globally and directly through the signal in space.
The service is freely accessible to all users with a receiver capable of processing the HAS corrections broadcast in the E6-B signal and via the internet. The precise corrections provided by Galileo HAS will allow users to reduce the error associated with the orbit and clocks provided through the Galileo Open Service broadcast navigation messages and the GPS Standard Positioning Service navigation data.
“With the Galileo HAS we are ready to unleash the full potential of new technologies such as drones and bring autonomous driving closer to reality,’’ da Costa said. “At EUSPA, our role is to link space to user needs. With the launch of this new service, we met a clear market demand for accurate, robust, and reliable navigation.”
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:
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) along with the European Commission, have published guidelines that specify the baseline applicable to the Galileo Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) receiver service provision phase. The new documents include the OSNMA Signal-in-Space (SIS) Interface Control Document (ICD), and OSNMA Receiver Guidelines.
The OSNMA SIS ICD specifies, among other things, the interface between the Galileo Space Segment and the Galileo User Segment. This document is an addition to the Galileo Open Service (OS) SIS ICD.
The OSNMA Receiver Guidelines provide generic instructions for the user segment implementation of the OSNMA functionality and complement the OSNMA SIS ICD. Additionally, the guidelines explain user capabilities and steps to implement to verify the authenticity of the Galileo navigation message.
Both documents will be used for the upcoming OSNMA Service Provision Phase that will begin after the OSNMA Service Declaration. They have been developed as an evolution of the Galileo OSNMA User ICD for test phase (v1.0) and the Galileo OSNMA Receiver Guidelines for test phase (v1.1). Copies of the documents can be found here.
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) has announced that as of June 1, the latest European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) payload is operational ahead of the first V3 test signals.
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme