Galileo: How Europe's answer to GPS will revolutionise your phone

GPS is operated and owned by the US and the EU has decided that being completely reliant on another country's GPS system would leave them vulnerable if they and the US ever fell out.

That's why they're currently launching the first few of what will, when completed by 2019, be a 30-strong swarm of satellites. Collectively, they're known as Galileo - Europe's answer to the GPS.

Galileo: How Europe's answer to GPS will revolutionise your phone

I don't really know why, but this article gets my conspirator senses tingling. Is this a sign of an ever growing gulf between the US and the EU? Where exactly is such a thing heading? And then we have the current leaks of global spying to consider. The EU is just as bad as the US on this front. Are they stepping up their game and making sure they can keep a very clear eye on us all? 2019 should be an interesting year.

More info on the project: Galileo (satellite navigation)

Meeh, don't hold your Breath,

It was originally supposed to be operational 2012

China was in on it for a while, but decided that the delays are not worth it, Last time i checked, China also started their own GPS programme.

TBH then there is nothing to be worried about here, in the sense of security. These are not spy satellites, Just positioning satellites.

IMO then this has taken TOO long, we still rely on US military satellites for all civilian activities.

Namaste.

It makes sense. No country should rely on another for anything as important as gps, no matter how close they are as allies. After all, at some point in history the US has been an enemy of damn near everyone.

One would have thought that resolving the crippling currency crisis within the Eurozone, and unemployment levels in nations like Spain would be somewhat more important than space projects at this time.

Act1Scene1
One would have thought that resolving the crippling currency crisis within the Eurozone, and unemployment levels in nations like Spain would be somewhat more important than space projects at this time.

A fair point. But if countries governments and political unions were to only address one problem at a time, we would likely be living in mud huts by now.

Also such problems should be the issues of the effected nations. European people as a whole are generally a little tired of bailing out the stragglers.

kundalini

GPS is operated and owned by the US and the EU has decided that being completely reliant on another country's GPS system would leave them vulnerable if they and the US ever fell out.

That's why they're currently launching the first few of what will, when completed by 2019, be a 30-strong swarm of satellites. Collectively, they're known as Galileo - Europe's answer to the GPS.

Galileo: How Europe's answer to GPS will revolutionise your phone

I don't really know why, but this article gets my conspirator senses tingling. Is this a sign of an ever growing gulf between the US and the EU? Where exactly is such a thing heading? And then we have the current leaks of global spying to consider. The EU is just as bad as the US on this front. Are they stepping up their game and making sure they can keep a very clear eye on us all? 2019 should be an interesting year.

More info on the project: Galileo (satellite navigation)

edit on 12-11-2013 by kundalini because: (no reason given)

You can put your spidey sense away its being developed with full cooperation from the united states.Plus it only makes sense since the United States,Russians,Chinese and indians all have.

dublin.usembassy.gov...

Yep, this is exactly what our world needs. More tacking systems. Yep. Don't need to clean up the oceans, or come up with safe clean energy, or none of that jazz. We need more sheep tags.

reply to post by Act1Scene1


Silly post. You don't just stop every long term project to focus on the short term.

And, it means money won't be leaving the EU to buy US technology, instead people buying the European GPS technology will be funding European companies, with the possibility to sell it to people/nations outside the EU as well.

MortlitantiFMMJ
reply to post by Act1Scene1

 

Silly post. You don't just stop every long term project to focus on the short term.

Well, we could do that of course. I believe the last time it was done, they nicknamed it the Dark Ages.

It only makes sense that Europe would want to have this capability. What if the US decided to shut the GPS system down for some reason? What if it failed for some reason? Right now the only other option is the Russian GLONASS and although that system has mostly has its global coverage restored it also has lots of failures and $100 million that was suppose to be fixing and upgrading it went missing putting the entire program under a corruption investigation. Sadly its the same problem facing all aspects of the Russian economy and military. China and India have coverage for only inside the borders of their own countries so far and while they both plan on expanding to global coverage it will be some time before they do so if everything goes as planned. And as we know that is rare. Europes Galileo has started and stopped enough to wonder if it will ever get done. Right now using systems that run off of GPS and GLONASS are best. However GLONASS having been shut down once do to budget issues can not be a system you want to depend on until the Russia cleans up the massive corruption that ruins things like this. So still the only system you can 100% depend on is GPS. If something happened to it then global navigation would come crashing to a hault. I hope Europe, China and India all managed to get global systems up it is best for everybody.

Act1Scene1
One would have thought that resolving the crippling currency crisis within the Eurozone, and unemployment levels in nations like Spain would be somewhat more important than space projects at this time.

As others have said, silly post.

Besides, Galileo has been in development for years, long before the current financial crisis - planning first began in 1999 with the first stage being signed off in 2003.

You don't just throw away years of development (and jobs, so many thousands of jobs!) just because some Mediterranean countries finally had to pay the tab for being the lazy, poorly governed, tax dodging buggers we always knew they were.

MrSpad
If something happened to it then global navigation would come crashing to a hault. I hope Europe, China and India all managed to get global systems up it is best for everybody.

It's not just Navigation matey, GPS is relied upon for so much other things it is unthinkable it should ever fail. For example, it's use in communications is vital. Without GPS, it would throw timing and synch right out the window.

stumason

MrSpad
If something happened to it then global navigation would come crashing to a hault. I hope Europe, China and India all managed to get global systems up it is best for everybody.

It's not just Navigation matey, GPS is relied upon for so much other things it is unthinkable it should ever fail. For example, it's use in communications is vital. Without GPS, it would throw timing and synch right out the window.

This is very true and while the chances of it faling are small, I think they have 6 extra reserve sats already in orbit, it is still a scary thought. At the moment the Russain system is a decent back up but, you never know what will happen with the Russians. I am honestly suprised we still do not have 3rd option yet. For about a decade the Russian system was off line and GPS was it. The US could have literaly held the world hostage and although that is not in its nature it still has to be something people worry about.

reply to post by kundalini

I know you didn't write the title so this is no reflection on you personally, but what a misleading title!

It's 10 times more accurate with accuracy of 1 meter instead of 10 according to the article, but then it goes on to say that the guaranteed accuracy version isn't free and you have to pay a fee to use it. You don't want to be 10 meters off when you launch a missile but I've never got lost due to a 10 meter error, so it may be improved, but I think the word "revolutionise" is more than a stretch, especially since I'm not going to pay extra for that guaranteed accuracy service and then I may be getting the same accuracy as I am now...the article doesn't really say what accuracy you get if you don't buy the premium more accurate service.

I remember seeing video of US naval vessels taking fixes on stars to navigate as a backup to the GPS...so even the US military is prepared for loss of the US GPS system if something happened to it. The old fashioned method of navigation looks much more cumbersome than just using GPS but I guess it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

reply to post by MrSpad


Read up on BeiDou, which is China's system. It is catching up to GPS quickly in terms of coverage. Galileo is dragging way out and may never come to fruition. GLONASS is also still hanging around.

The argument that you need something different than the US system is a little weak at this point, as there are 2 other systems that can be used for civilian positioning. The EU doesn't need a military system do they?

InverseLookingGlass
The EU doesn't need a military system do they?

Why not?

Two of the 5 UNSC Members are in the EU and 4 of the top 10 Military spenders in the World are EU countries. If push came to shove and we had to tee off against someone and the operators of the other GPS systems either object because they support the enemy or are in fact the enemy themselves, what then?

InverseLookingGlass
reply to post by MrSpad

 

Read up on BeiDou, which is China's system. It is catching up to GPS quickly in terms of coverage. Galileo is dragging way out and may never come to fruition. GLONASS is also still hanging around.

The argument that you need something different than the US system is a little weak at this point, as there are 2 other systems that can be used for civilian positioning. The EU doesn't need a military system do they?

BeiDou only has Asian Pacific coverage so far with a goal of global coverage in 2020. However China has a lot of economic bumps in the road ahead and that could easly be disrupted. The Russians also have issues and while they have got their system up for second time the politcal and economic situation in Russia is to unstable to count on them maintaining it considering that lots of it is 20 years older than GPS. India is also working one but, who knows how long that will be. The EU having one would be a nice stable back up if they ever get it done.

MortlitantiFMMJ
reply to post by Act1Scene1

 

Silly post. You don't just stop every long term project to focus on the short term.

No - but you can put long term projects on hold, delay funding until there's more money around, cut back development to a "maintenance" level and the like.

kundalini

GPS is operated and owned by the US and the EU has decided that being completely reliant on another country's GPS system would leave them vulnerable if they and the US ever fell out.

That's why they're currently launching the first few of what will, when completed by 2019, be a 30-strong swarm of satellites. Collectively, they're known as Galileo - Europe's answer to the GPS.

Galileo: How Europe's answer to GPS will revolutionise your phone

I don't really know why, but this article gets my conspirator senses tingling. Is this a sign of an ever growing gulf between the US and the EU? Where exactly is such a thing heading? And then we have the current leaks of global spying to consider. The EU is just as bad as the US on this front. Are they stepping up their game and making sure they can keep a very clear eye on us all? 2019 should be an interesting year.

More info on the project: Galileo (satellite navigation)

edit on 12-11-2013 by kundalini because: (no reason given)

The same corporations who control the US, control the EU.
They wont fight each other. What they will do is they will pit the US/EU+allies against Russia/China+who ever is left that they haven't taken out already(like Iran, Syria..)
That is what the next world war will be.

Galileo is not to compete against GPS. It may seem that way, from a commercial and end user perspective, but in terms of military applications, it will probably be used as a back up to the American GPS.

Russia has their own, Glonass. A lot of new smartphones these days can use GPS or Glonass.

If Russian Glonass satellites are taken out, do they have a back up to fall to? The West does..
Does China have it's own GPS system up? I believe they are either in the process or are planning one.
I think even India might be developing one..or have an interest.

Anyway, that's my take on it.

kundalini

GPS is operated and owned by the US and the EU has decided that being completely reliant on another country's GPS system would leave them vulnerable if they and the US ever fell out.

That's why they're currently launching the first few of what will, when completed by 2019, be a 30-strong swarm of satellites. Collectively, they're known as Galileo - Europe's answer to the GPS.

Galileo: How Europe's answer to GPS will revolutionise your phone

I don't really know why, but this article gets my conspirator senses tingling. Is this a sign of an ever growing gulf between the US and the EU? Where exactly is such a thing heading? And then we have the current leaks of global spying to consider. The EU is just as bad as the US on this front. Are they stepping up their game and making sure they can keep a very clear eye on us all? 2019 should be an interesting year.

More info on the project: Galileo (satellite navigation)

edit on 12-11-2013 by kundalini because: (no reason given)

A gulf? Our country and your nation "states" are run by the same people.