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ESA News
http://www.esa.int

11 June 2003

Europe's first Master Control Centre for satellite navigation

The recent inauguration in Germany of the first Master Control
Centre (MCC) for the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay
Service (EGNOS) marked an important step in the advancement of
Europe's own satellite navigation system.

"Where Europe really will make the difference is with the integrity
provided, compared to GPS. This is starting with EGNOS and will go on
with Galileo", explains Claudio Mastracci, ESA Director of
Applications at the inauguration of the first Master Control Centre
of the EGNOS system inside the DFS (German Air Navigation Services)
facilities in Langen, near Frankfurt, Germany. Dieter Kaden, DFS
Chairman and CEO adds, "Satellite navigation will improve aircraft
safety and with EGNOS we can see the first illustration of it".

By correcting global positioning system (GPS) signals, EGNOS gives an
accuracy of down to 2 metres, compared to the less accurate 15 to 20
m provided by GPS signals. EGNOS achieves this through a network of
ground elements. These are currently being installed all over Europe.

The elements that make up the EGNOS system include: Ranging and
Integrity Monitoring Stations (RIMS) which pick up the GPS signals,
the Master Control Centres (MCCs) to process the data delivered by
the RIMS and uplink stations which send the signal to three
geostationary satellites which relay it back to the ground to the
users. 

EGNOS is Europe's first step into satellite navigation, paving the
way for Galileo. Its service availability is due in spring 2004 and
is currently in its technical verification phase.

Deployments so far include 12 RIMS and one MCC (in Langen, Germany).
Three other Mission Control Centres are to be installed: Torrejon
(Spain), Ciampino (Italy) and Swanwick (England). A further 22 RIMS
are also being deployed. For this, agreements with 28 hosting
entities have been made which gives an idea of the intricate network
that EGNOS represents. 

EGNOS is an initiative of the European Space Agency (ESA), the
European Commission and Eurocontrol. The EGNOS System Test Bed (ESTB)
has been providing signals since 2001 but now the EGNOS network
itself is being tested with what is symbolically called the EGNOS
'first signal in space'.

GPS receivers are already using EGNOS-like signals broadcast by the
ESTB, though these correction signals will be reliable only next
year, when the service is fully available.

Developed for civil aviation EGNOS is to provide a highly accurate
signal, and has the potential for worldwide coverage making it an
efficient tool for air safety. There are, however, many other
possible applications: trains, buses and even guiding the blind.

With EGNOS, Europe is proving its know how in satellite navigation
and creating a community of users in Europe and beyond for the
benefit of everyone, everywhere.

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