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European Space Agency

Press Release

ESA welcomes setting-up of Galileo Joint Undertaking

17 June 2003

The appointment of Rainer Grohe as Director of the Galileo Joint
Undertaking marks a further key step forward for Galileo, the first
civil global satellite navigation programme.

"I am delighted at Rainer Grohe's appointment to manage the first
Joint Undertaking established by the European Space Agency and the
European Commission", said  Antonio Rodota, ESA's Director General.
"His industrial experience will be invaluable to us in carrying out
this programme, which can now get fully into its stride for the
benefit of everyone in Europe."

The Administrative Board of the Galileo Joint Undertaking endorsed
the appointment on Monday 16 June in Brussels.  This means that the
JU can now proceed with the various steps towards setting up the
Galileo network, which will give users in Europe -  and throughout
the world - a precise and secure satellite positioning and navigation
system. 

The Joint Undertaking's main task is to prepare for the Galileo
programme deployment and operational phase, which should culminate in
the selection of a concession holder to take charge of running the
future Galileo operating company.  That private entity will take over
to finish deployment of the constellation in orbit and finalise
installation of the ground segment necessary to complete the system.
It will then manage the operational phase.
 
In the near term, under the development and in-orbit validation
phase, ESA is responsible for the launch of a first experimental
satellite scheduled for September 2005.  This will serve the dual
purpose of securing the frequencies reserved for Galileo until June
2006 by the International Telecommunications Union and testing of the
new technologies.   To minimise the risks, two contracts will be
awarded to industry by early July to build two separate satellites.
Three or four test satellites will subsequently be launched for
validation of the system around 2006/2007. 

All this adds up to a magnificent challenge for ESA and the
Commission together with the Galileo Joint Undertaking:  achieving
European independence in the strategically-important area of
satellite navigation, a sector having numerous economic spin-offs.

The core of the Galileo system is its constellation of  30
satellites (27 operational, 3 spare) circling in medium earth orbit
in three planes inclined at 56ø to the equator at 23616 km altitude.
This will be provide excellent global coverage.  Two centres will be
set up in Europe to control satellite operations and manage the
navigation system. 


For further information, contact:
ESA Media Relations Service
Tel: +33(0)1.53.69.7155
Fax: +33(0)1.53.69.7690

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