NaviGadget

Galileo going strong

Mar 2, 2006 gps navigation, misc news

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a € 950 million contract for the development and construction of the first four Galileo constellation satellites and part of the ground infrastructure, including full subsystem testing, to Galileo Industries. The contract covers the development and construction of the first four Galileo constellation satellites and part of the ground infrastructure for Galileo, including the full testing of the subsystem.

EADS Space, a founder member and shareholder of the GaIn consortium (with project partners Alcatel, Finmeccanica, Galileo Sistemas y Servicios, and Thales) will handle almost one-fifth of the contract. EADS Space subsidiary EADS Astrium will build the first four constellation satellites.

This stage of the contract appears to validate Germany’s call, voiced in public and private forums over the last year, for a large share of program work. The multinational EADS (European Aeronautic Defense and Space) is based in Schiphol, the Netherlands, but the company’s Ottobrunn, Germany facility will undertake the largest portion of the work… via