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Paris,  26 May 2003
Press Release
Nx 33-2003

Galileo becomes a reality for Europe

The European Space Agency is now able to finalise the conditions for
participation in the Galileo navigation programme and to approve the
Galileo Joint Undertaking foundation act to be soon signed by ESA and
the European Union.

The agreement reached among ESA member states today clears the way
for the official launch of the legal entity which will have the task
of coordinating ESA and EU involvement in Galileo, the European
initiative to develop a global satellite navigation system.

"This is a great day for Europe in general and its space community in
particular. Conscious of the economic, industrial and strategic
importance of satellite navigation, our Member States have reached
agreement in the common interest. We are now able to continue with
Galileo, a major programme from which all citizens will benefit.
Galileo is definitely a reality", said Antonio Rodotà, ESA Director
General at the end of the Council Meeting at Delegate level held in
Paris today while informing German Minister of  Education and
Research, Mrs. Edelgard Bulmahn, Chairwoman  of the ESA Council at
Ministerial level to be held in Paris tomorrow.
 
"I am extremely delighted with this result.  Galileo is now on its
way. I am grateful to all ESA Member States that have striven to find
a balanced solution and pleased that Europe has once again proven to
be able to remain at the forefront of high level technology for a
programme useful to each of us in our everyday life" said Mrs.
Bulmahn when she heard the good news.
  
The Galileo Joint Undertaking, to be headquartered in Brussels, has a
key part to play in implementing the various phases of the programme.
This unique organisational structure will pave the way for the entity
that will in due course operate the Galileo system. It will be
responsible for the Galileo development and validation phase and also
for preparations for system deployment and operations. 

The founding members of the Galileo Joint Undertaking are the
European Space Agency and the European Union, represented by the
European Commission.

Galileo will complement the existing satellite navigation system,
which presently relies entirely on GPS, the American Global
Positioning System. Developed by ESA and the EU on the basis of equal
co-funding, Galileo is designed to provide a complete civil system.
Scheduled to be operational by 2008, it will offer the citizens of
Europe and the world an accurate and secure satellite positioning
capability. 

A broad range of applications will be supported by the system :
control of road, rail and sea traffic, synchronised data transmission
between computers, and many others. Projections point to very
significant economic benefits, with a return on investment of 4.6 and
creation of over 140 000 jobs.

Galileo is the first instance of a project carried out jointly by the
European Space Agency and the European Union.

The Galileo system will be built around 30 satellites (27 operational
and 3 reserve craft) occupying three circular earth orbits,  inclined
at 56ø to the Equator, at an altitude of 23 616 km. This
configuration will provide excellent coverage of the planet. Two
Galileo control centres will be established in Europe to control
satellite operations and manage the navigation system.

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

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