Thursday, July 10, 2025
  • About us
    • Write for us
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms of use
    • Privacy Policy
  • RSS Feeds
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
DefenceTalk
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
DefenceTalk
No Result
View All Result
Home Defence & Military News Technology News

EU Takes Over Galileo Global Navigation System

by Editor
May 10, 2007
in Technology News
2 min read
0
14
VIEWS

German Radio, Tired of the bickering and lack of progress on one of Europe's premier projects, the European Commission has decided to take the reins of control for the Galileo satellite navigation system away from private industry. 
 
The European Commission has proposed that the public sector, rather than industry, assume the responsibility for a European Union satellite navigation system that has been stalled due to legal, financial and technical problems. 
 
German Transportation Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee, who currently serves as the responsible EU minister for the program under Germany's EU presidency, expressed his exasperation at a meeting in Brussels on Monday. “This monumental project must not suffer any more harm by falling further behind the competition, or, by being threatened altogether,” Tiefensee said. 
 
Little headway 

 
Almost two years after being named, a private consortium of industry giants has made so little progress on the project that it is threatening to end up in the Airbus A380 category of botched industrial endeavors. 
 
The umbrella group of industry heavyweights includes AENA and Hispasat of Spain, Thales and Alcatel-Lucent from France, European aerospace company EADS, Italy's Finmeccanica, Britain's Inmarsat, Deutsche Telekom and the German Aerospace Center, DLR. 
 
The EU Commission's preference now is to take over the project and issue a new tender to operate the system once it is built and launched into space. This would get the system operating by the end of 2012 — a year, or even two, faster than any other option. 
 
Dr. Hubert Reile, program director for space operations at the German Aerospace Center, said this will not affect control of the navigation network by the DLR from its Oberpfaffenhofen Space Center in Bavaria. 
 
“For the DLR and for Germany, this decision won't make much of a difference,” he said. “It is foreseen that we will have a control center near Munich in Oberpfaffenhofen, and it makes no difference if it is financed purely by a government or by a private group,” he added. 
 
European version of GPS 
 
Galileo is supposed to be the European answer to the US GPS system used as a navigation aid in cars, boats and aircraft. The four billion-euro ($5.4 billion) system has suffered a number of setbacks, due to technical problems, which can be solved, said Reile, and financial and legal responsibility issues, which none of the private industry participants are willing to shoulder. 
 
“What is really difficult for this project is that more partners are on board than in a normal, big European project,” said Reile. 
 
The industries involved have voiced their dismay at such a late change of plans, but they have no one to blame but themselves. A letter of new demands which the consortium sent to the EU Commission only last week made Monday's decision a foregone conclusion. An EU official close to the project said new conditions, more time and more money would delay satellite orders.

Previous Post

Countdown Begins to Launch Royal Navy's Newest Attack Submarines

Next Post

Indian Prithvi Missile's 'User's Trial' Undertaken

Related Posts

Air Force Research Lab Announces MUOS Satellite Communications Testing in Antarctica

Trojan Horses in Space: Cyber Threats Hidden in Satellite Networks

April 8, 2025

Most of us like satellites. They power our televisions. Allow us to find our way home from anywhere on the...

Chatbot vs national security? Why DeepSeek is raising concerns

Chatbot vs national security? Why DeepSeek is raising concerns

February 17, 2025

Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek upended the global industry and wiped billions off US tech stocks when it unveiled its R1...

Next Post

Indian Prithvi Missile's 'User's Trial' Undertaken

Latest Defense News

Britain, Germany jointly developing missiles: ministers

Britain, Germany jointly developing missiles: ministers

May 17, 2025
Trump announces ‘full and immediate’ India-Pakistan ceasefire

Trump announces ‘full and immediate’ India-Pakistan ceasefire

May 10, 2025
Pakistan says Indian missiles strike air bases as conflict spirals

Pakistan says Indian missiles strike air bases as conflict spirals

May 10, 2025
J-10C fighter jet

Pakistan says India has brought neighbours ‘closer to major conflict’

May 9, 2025
North Korea fires multiple suspected cruise missiles

North Korea fires flurry of short-range ballistic missiles

May 9, 2025
China says ‘closely watching’ Ukraine situation after Russian attack

China vows to stand with Russia in face of ‘hegemonic bullying’

May 9, 2025

Defense Forum Discussions

  • Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] News, Discussions and Updates
  • Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates 2.0
  • USAF News and Discussion
  • Japan Ground Self Defense Force
  • Germany
  • Indonesian Aero News
  • Could this be the SR-72?
  • The Russian-Ukrainian War Thread
  • Has anyone in US seen SR-91 Aurora
  • PRC Peoples Liberation Army Navy
DefenceTalk

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com

Navigate Site

  • Defence Forum
  • Military Photos
  • RSS Feeds
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com