Alcatel Applauds ESA's Green Light for Galileo Program Financing

Alcatel, PARIS: Alcatel applauds the agreement of the European Space Agency's industrial policy and navigation program committees regarding the additional financing of Galileo's first industrial phase.  
 
This initial phase consists of placing 4 first satellites into orbit to validate the key technologies of this complex system. In its full deployment stage, the Galileo constellation will consist of 30 satellites, with the operational roll-out expected at the end of 2010. One of the first satellites, integrated by Alcatel Alenia Space in its Rome facility, will be launched early in 2006.  
 
Olivier Houssin, President of Alcatel's Private Communications and in charge of Alcatel's space activities says: “Thanks to this decision, the industrial teams in Europe – and notably Alcatel Alenia Space teams – will be able to work with the needed visibility to achieve this program within the time and financial frame. This green light will strengthen European technological competencies in satellite navigation and will encourage job creation in transport, telecommunications and safety domains.”  
 
ESA's strategic decision demonstrates Europe's will in establishing the Galileo program, essential for European autonomy, and for the development of new localization-based services. Once this first industrial phase will be achieved, a private concessionaire will ensure the financing, building and exploiting of the whole satellite constellation.  
 
Alcatel, together with its partner Finmeccanica, is one of the founding members of the Galileo Consortium. The concessionaire will have the task of operating Galileo for 20 years but will also benefit from commercial results.  
 
Alcatel Alenia Space, leader in satellite systems and at the forefront of orbit infrastructures, brings together the vast experience and know-how of Alcatel Space and Alenia Spazio to form a new leading force in European space technology. Alcatel Alenia Space represents a worldwide standard for space development that impacts everybody's future: from navigation to telecommunications, from meteorology to environmental monitoring, from defence to science and observation. An affiliate of Alcatel (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%), Alcatel Alenia Space generated an estimated turnover of 1.8 billion euros with around 7,200 people in 2004.