IT HERALDS an independence day of sorts. As 91av went to press, the European Space Agency (ESA) was gearing up to launch the first two of its , the beginning of the end of European dependence on the US fleet.
The eventual Galileo fleet of 30 satellites promises to boost both navigation and science: combining information from GPS and Galileo should allow positions to be determined more accurately than GPS alone. It will also be a civilian venture, whereas GPS is run by the US military.
Don’t hold your breath though: the endeavour is already 12 years behind schedule and €2 billion over budget. Currently, the whole fleet is expected to be up by 2020, at a total cost of €5 billion.
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There’s another reason to celebrate, though. The satellite pair is due to launch this week on a Russian Soyuz rocket from French Guiana – the first Soyuz launch outside of the former Soviet Union. ESA hopes this is a step towards in space between Russia and Europe.