28
Aug
2006
Guardian Unlimited: The UK Government is to invest another £21 million (around €30 million) in a European space mission to build a new satellite navigation system.
The investment forms part of a £2.4 billion scheme to provide Europe with its own independent system by 2010.
Surrey Satellite Technology built a test satellite which was successfully launched from Kazakhstan late last year.
And Astrium UK and LogicaCMG are major partners in Galileo Industries, the consortium of European companies building the first four test satellites
In-car direction terminals and other tracking technologies rely at present on the US military-based Global Positioning System (GPS).
Galileo will be a civil system, run by a private consortium and offering guaranteed levels of service.
The full constellation of Galileo satellites is expected to be in operation by the end of 2010.