With 18 satellites in orbit, Galileo finally goes live on December 15 (AFP)
Paris:
Europe's Galileo satnav system, first approved in 1999, had a difficult birth -- taking 17 years and more than triple the original budget to get to the point of going live.
Here's a look at the bumpy road to this week's expected launch of Galileo's initial services:
December 1999: The European Commission formally approves Galileo, a joint project with the European Space Agency, with a budget of between 2.2 billion and 2.95 billion euros ($2.34-3.14 billion). The project "to safeguard European strategic needs" is set for completion in 2008.
April 2008: After failing to raise private sector funding, the Commission -- the European Union's executive -- takes over the project with a new estimated budget, entirely taxpayer-funded, of 3.4 billion euros until 2013. A further 7 billion euros is budgeted for the 2014-2020 period, according to France's CNES space agency, an ESA member.
October 2011: The two first Galileo satellites are launched into orbit, followed by two more in 2012.
March 2013: These four satellites pinpoint the system's first-ever ground location, with an accuracy of between 10 and 15 metres (32 to 49 feet). One of the orbiters develops antenna problems, but can still transmit on one frequency.
August 2014: After a more than year-long delay over "technical difficulties", satellites five and six are launched into a lopsided, elliptical orbit of little use for satellite navigation. Subsequent launches are delayed to investigate the cause -- frozen fuel pipes onboard the Russian Soyuz rocket.
December 2016: With 18 satellites in orbit, Galileo finally goes live on December 15. The commission has already ordered eight more orbiters, for launch in 2017 and 2018, with the last four in the 30-satellite constellation yet to be confirmed.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Here's a look at the bumpy road to this week's expected launch of Galileo's initial services:
December 1999: The European Commission formally approves Galileo, a joint project with the European Space Agency, with a budget of between 2.2 billion and 2.95 billion euros ($2.34-3.14 billion). The project "to safeguard European strategic needs" is set for completion in 2008.
April 2008: After failing to raise private sector funding, the Commission -- the European Union's executive -- takes over the project with a new estimated budget, entirely taxpayer-funded, of 3.4 billion euros until 2013. A further 7 billion euros is budgeted for the 2014-2020 period, according to France's CNES space agency, an ESA member.
October 2011: The two first Galileo satellites are launched into orbit, followed by two more in 2012.
March 2013: These four satellites pinpoint the system's first-ever ground location, with an accuracy of between 10 and 15 metres (32 to 49 feet). One of the orbiters develops antenna problems, but can still transmit on one frequency.
August 2014: After a more than year-long delay over "technical difficulties", satellites five and six are launched into a lopsided, elliptical orbit of little use for satellite navigation. Subsequent launches are delayed to investigate the cause -- frozen fuel pipes onboard the Russian Soyuz rocket.
December 2016: With 18 satellites in orbit, Galileo finally goes live on December 15. The commission has already ordered eight more orbiters, for launch in 2017 and 2018, with the last four in the 30-satellite constellation yet to be confirmed.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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