Galileo to launch services by end of 2014

Prague, Sept 6 (CTK) - The European satellite navigation system Galileo will start providing services by the end of 2014, European Commission Vice President, Antonio Tajani, said at the official opening of the European GNSS Agency (GSA) headquarters in Prague yesterday.

Full operations will be launched at the turn of 2019 and 2020.

Galileo is to offer, for instance, search and rescue services, public regulated service and open service by the end of 2014.

GSA head Carlos Des Dorides said the system will not be in full working order but will improve significantly the GPS signal and will be its complement, for instance, in towns and cities.

At least 18 out of a total of 30 satellites will be in orbit in 2014.

Two satellites are available at the moment and another two will be added on October 10.

Transport Minister Pavel Dobes said the launch of the GSA centre in Prague is important for the prestige of the Czech Republic in the EU, but its operations will also have a positive economic effect providing space for application of Czech technologies and innovations.

The Transport Ministry has formed a committee to oversee participation of Czech firms and institutions in the Galileo system in which also research centres and technical colleges should also take part.

The EU's socio-economic benefits from the European programme of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) are projected at EUR90bn by the year 2017, said Tajani. Investment in the project totals around EUR9bn.

The opening of the centre completes a six-year Czech endeavour to move the GNSS administrative headquarters from Brussels to Prague.

The GSA headquarters in Prague currently has 45 employees, ten of them are Czechs. Some important positions, however, have long remained vacant, for instance, the post of security head.

Another ten employees are needed for the Prague branch of the GSA.

The number of employees has not been defined but around 180 staff are expected to work for the GSA in Prague.

The main task of the GSA centre is coordination of the establishment of European space programme Galileo. The aim of Galileo is to provide a modern European alternative to the established GPS (Global Positioning System) system of the USA.

The European navigation system is to be much more accurate than the US system. It should identify a position in the entire world with an accuracy down to a metre, while the accuracy deviation of the GPS could be up to tens of metres.