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TheGalileoProject
WhyEuropewantsitsownsatellitenavigationprogram.

Artist'sconceptionofaGalileovalidationsatelliteinorbit.Ifsuccessful,Galileowillbe
theworld'sthirdglobalsatellitenavigationsystem.(ESA)

ByCraigMellow
Air&SpaceMagazine|Subscribe
April2012

WhatwoulditbelikeiftheEuropeanUnioncollectivelybuiltaglobalsatellitenetwork,breakingthe
monopolyoftheGlobalPositioningSystem,whichunbeknowntomostcasualusersisownedand
operatedbytheU.S.military?

Therewouldbealotofmeetings,liketheSecurityAccreditationBoardconfabeveryfourweeks,
whereanyoneof17membernationscanbuttinandtinkerwithprojectdevelopment.Therewouldbe
duplicationofeffort,likebuildingtwoidenticalcontrolcentersinGermanyandItaly,mostlysoboth
countriesfeeltheyaregettingtheirmoneysworthoutoftheprogram.

Therewouldbecomplexcrossjurisdictionresponsibilityfordifferentbitsofthescheme,shifting
betweentheEuropeanCommission(EC)inBrussels,theEuropeanSpaceAgencyinParis,andthe
GlobalNavigationSatelliteSystemSupervisoryAuthority,whichlastAugustsetupshopinPrague.
Andtherewouldbeembarrassingpressleaks:TheCEOofGermanaerospacecontractorOHBSystem
losthisjobwhenin2011WikiLeaksrevealedhisstatementtoU.S.diplomatsthattheprojectwasa
stupidideathatprimarilyservesFrenchinterests.

Sofar,thatswhatthebirthofEuropesglobalnavigationsatellitesystem,calledGalileo,hasbeenlike.
By2017,theEUpromises,Galileowillbeasystemof30satellites,orbitingatanaltitudeof23,600
kilometers(14,664miles)andcapableoflocatinganyobjectonEarthwithanaccuracywithinfour
meters(13feet).

ChristianLangenbachisaparticipantinthishistoricenterprise,asmanagingdirectorofSpaceopal,a
newGermanItalianconsortiumthatwonacontracttwoyearsagotoprovideGalileosgroundsupport.
Fortheformerbusinessprofessorandcomputerprogrammer,theworkisasmuchdiplomaticas
scientific.Ittakesalotoftimetoharmonizeeverything,heexplains.ThisistheEU,whereall
memberstateshavearighttoraisetheirvoice.

Conceivedintheearly2000s,Galileowasatfirstgoingtobeapublicprivatepartnership,likeagiant
tollroadinthesky.UndertheEuropeanCommissionssupervision,banksandcontractorswould
financemostofthedeployment,hopingtorecoupthecostsbylaterchargingforservices.Thatmodel
fellapartin2007whenitbecameclearthatthePentagondidnotmindtherestoftheworldusingGPS
forfree.

Europesbanksandcontractorsrecalculatedtheirarithmeticaccordingly,andbailed.TheECrescued
GalileowithfundingfromtheUnionscommunalbudget,onlytodiscovertheoriginalcostestimates
werewildlyoptimistic.By2010,theprojectwasnineyearsbehindscheduleandthreetimesover
budget,withaprojected20yearcosttobeleagueredEUtaxpayersof22.2billion($28.6billion),
accordingtoOpenEurope,aBritishindependentthinktank.(TheRandCorporationhasestimated
research,development,andlaunchcostsforGPSsofarat$21.5billion.)A2008inquirybytheBritish
HouseofCommonsTransportCommitteefoundGalileotobeatextbookexampleofhownottorun
largescaleinfrastructureprojects.

YetliketheEuropeanUnionitselfwhoseaggregateeconomyremainstheworldslargestGalileo
plodson,andisstartingtogainmomentum.FromitsspaceportinFrenchGuiana,theEuropeanSpace
Agencylaunchedthesystemsfirsttwosatellitesin2011onaRussianSoyuzrocket,thentwomore
lastOctoberonanotherSoyuz.Thatkickedofftheinorbitvalidationphaseoftheproject.Four
satellitesisenoughtoobtainapositionfixanddeterminethatthesystemisbasicallyfunctional,
explainsMarcoFalcone,anItalianwhooverseessome150ESAtechniciansworkingonGalileoatthe
agencysoperationscenternearLeydenintheNetherlands.

OnceGalileopassesitsorbitaltesting,theEuropeanspromisetogointooverdrive,usinganAriane5
onaseriesoflaunchestodeployfoursatellitesatatime.By2015,theschedulecallsfor18spacecraft.
WorkingwithGPS,thatarraywillnoticeablyimproveserviceforusersonEarth,especiallythose
hemmedinbytallbuildingsornavigatingpartsoftheplanetwhereGPScoverageisminimal,suchas
thoseclosetothepoles.

AfterGalileogoeslive,satellitenavigationservicesaroundtheworldwillhaveaneffectivebackup
systemincasetheGPSbreaksdownorishacked.AndEurope,enthusiastssay,willfinallycontrolits
owncommunicationsdestiny,freeatlastoftheunlikelybutcatastrophicthreatthattheU.S.AirForce
mightrestrictGPScoverageintimesofconflict.(Sinceitwentfullyoperationalin1996,GPShas
neverbeenturnedoff.)ThatisadangertheEUcanillafford,withsixpercentofitsgrossdomestic
productalreadydependentoncelestialnavigation,saysAntonioTajani,theUnionsindustry
commissionerandcurrentpointmanforGalileo.TheEUneedstoensurethecontinuityofservicesto
itselectricitygrids,telecommunicationsnetworks,andstockexchanges,theItalianbornEurocrat
says.Theproverbialmaninthestreetislikelynottobeawareofthisothersideofsatellite
navigation,atleastuntilthingsstartgoingwrong.

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