Galileo : loupé de 4 000 km
Catégorie: A l'actu, Cartographie, Données, Entreprises, Matériel/GPS, Satellite/Spatial
Vue artistique d’un satellite Galileo (©ESA–J. Huart, 2014)
L’échec de la mise sur orbite des deux premiers satellites Galileo le 22 août dernier, ne va sans doute pas améliorer les relations avec la Russie. En effet, le lanceur Soyouz est directement montré du doigt pour expliquer le largage des satellites 4 000 km en dessous de l’orbite prévue ! La perte serait de quelque 135 millions d’euros pour l’agence spatiale européenne si elle n’arrive pas à les remettre à la bonne altitude. Mais cet échec n’est que la dernière péripétie d’un projet né en 2001, qui ne cesse d’accumuler les retards et les dépassements de budget. Pour l’instant le calendrier officiel reste inchangé et la constellation de 24 satellites devrait être opérationnelle en 2017.
Communiqués 
Prague, 9 October 2014
PRESS RELEASE
Galileo service provision delegated to the European GNSS Agency
The European GNSS Agency (GSA) and the European Commission have concluded an agreement which delegates a range of exploitation tasks for Galileo to the GSA, providing a framework and budget for the development of services and operations through 2021.
The signing of the Galileo Exploitation Delegation Agreement serves as an initial step towards the full Galileo Exploitation Phase.
According to the governance structure set out in the Agreement for the Galileo programme, the European Commission is responsible for the overall programme supervision, the European Space Agency (ESA) is entrusted with the deployment phase, while the GSA is responsible for the exploitation phase.
As to the exploitation phase, the GSA’s responsibilities include:
Provision and marketing of the services
Management, maintenance, continuous improvement, evolution and protection of the space and ground infrastructure
Research and development of receiver platforms with innovative features in different application domains
Development of future generations of the system
Cooperation with other GNSS
All other required activities to ensure the development and smooth running of the system
“With Galileo, we aim to provide a tangible service to European citizens, and this Delegation Agreement ensures we have the tools and funding necessary to achieve this,” says GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides.
The Galileo exploitation phase will be progressively rolled out starting in 2014 – 2015, with full operability scheduled for 2020.
About the Delegation Agreement
The Agreement was signed between Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director-General of the Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General at the European Commission and Carlo des Dorides, Executive Director of the GSA. The Agreement specifically sets the actions to be implemented, the amount of funding provided, and the conditions for the overall management.
The implementation period of the Agreement runs until 2021, with a comprehensive review of its functioning by the end of 2016. The maximum current EU contribution amounts to EUR 490 million, which will cover procurement and grant activities, including the GSA-ESA working arrangements and a programme management reserve, along with related research and development activities. The financing of the full exploitation phase will be confirmed during a mid-term review before the end of 2016.
About Galileo
Galileo is a flagship large-scale infrastructure programme fully funded and owned by the European Union (EU). It consists of a space segment, comprised of a constellation of 30 satellites, and a global network of ground stations. Once fully operational, it will be the world’s first global satellite navigation system under civilian control.
Galileo services are expected to provide considerable economic opportunities in a wide range of domains, including transport, telecommunication, energy and banking. For example, in 2013 the annual global market for global navigation satellite products and services was valued at €175 billion and is expected to grow over the next years to an estimated €237 billion in 2020. Independence in this area is important to the EU’s economy: in 2011 it was estimated that already 6-7% of Europe’s GDP, or €800 billion, relies on satellite navigation applications.
About the European GNSS Agency
As an official European Union Regulatory Agency, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) manages public interests related to European GNSS programmes. The GSA’s mission is to support European Union objectives and achieve the highest return on European GNSS investment, in terms of benefits to users and economic growth and competitiveness.