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4th Conference on European Union Space Policy

First two Galileo IOVs head into orbit from EU’s Kourou space center (ESA photo)

The 4th high-level EU conference on European Space Policy will take place at the Parliament Hemicycle, 43 rue Wiertz, in Brussels on November 8 and 9, 2011.

The theme is "A Space Policy for Society and Citizens," and the program will emphasize future funding and applications of the Galileo navigation system and the GMES, the European earth observation and monitoring system.

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By Inside GNSS

EU Leaders Call for Galileo Completion at European Space Policy Conference in Brussels

President Jerzy Buzek, European Parliament

[UPDATED November 1] The presidents of the European Parliament and European Council and the president and vice-president of the European Commission have issued an urgent call to EU business and government leaders and citizens to complete Galileo, the EU satellite navigation system, and other space-based initiatives even in the face of the current economic crisis.

They are patrons of a high-level European space policy conference to be held in the Hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium on November 9 and 10. 

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By Inside GNSS
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National Space-Based PNT Advisory Board Meeting November 2011

Aerial view of the U.S. Commerce Department building in Washington D.C., where the Space-Based PNT coordination office is located.

The 2011-13 members of the federal Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board will hold their second meeting of the year on Thursday and Friday, November 9-10 at the Washington Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Old Town Alexandria Hotel, 901 North Fairfax, Alexandria, Virginia.

On Thursday, the meeting runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Friday, it will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 1 p.m.

The meeting is open to the public, limited by the capacity of the room.

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By Inside GNSS
October 21, 2011

They Are Up! EU Launches First Galileo IOV Satellites

Russian Soyuz rocket lifts off Europe’s Kourou spaceport pad with first two Galileo IOV satellites on board. ESA photo. Photo: ESA/CNES/ARIANESPACE/Optique Video Du CSG

As the first two operational Galileo satellites enter orbit following this morning’s launch (October 21, 2011), a closely knit team of engineers from the European Space Ageny (ESA) and CNES, France’s space agency, assumed control.

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By Inside GNSS
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October 20, 2011

Augmented Reality System Wins Top Prizes in 2011 European Satellite Navigation Competition

MVS-California, the 2011 USA Challenge winner, grabs the top prize at European Satellite Navigation Competition (pictured: ESNC organizers Thorsten Rudolph and Ulrike Daniels with Bavarian state minister Martin Zeil and winners Tom Zamojdo and Juliana Carnes Clegg. (The two women on the right are unidentified.)

MVS-California, LLC, winner of the USA Challenge, took the top global prize in this year’s European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) with the company’s True3D Head Up Display & Navigation System.
The company’s innovation is an augmented reality navigational display engine designed to provide non-distracting, translucent location guidance to untrained operators of any type of vehicle.

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By Inside GNSS

Leaky Fuel Valve Delays Galileo Launch

Galileo IOVs being installed inside Soyuz Fregat upper stage. ESA, CNES, Arianespace, Optique Video du CSG, S.Martin

A faulty valve that caused a fuel leak has delayed today’s (October 20, 2011) planned launch of the first Galileo in-orbit vehicle (IOV).

Arianespace said the would be postponed until Friday (October 21, 2011) because a problem in a valve used to disconnect the rocket’s fueling system on take-off had led to the disconnection mechanism being triggered ahead of the take-off.

The Soyuz ST-B had moved to its launch pad last week and the Upper Composite containing twin Galileo IOVs placed on top of it.

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By Inside GNSS
October 14, 2011

Galileo: At Long Last, Launch

Galileo IOV satellites attached to their launch dispenser and encapsulated beneath the fairing of their Soyuz ST-B launcher Credit: ESA – P. Carril

Launch of two Galileo in-orbit validation (IOV) satellites next week will bring Europe’s long-awaited (and much-delayed) GNSS program into a new phase.

Liftoff from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, is scheduled for Thursday, October 20, at 11:34 GMT (7:34 a.m. local time). Progress in the operations and news updates can be viewed online at the European Space Agency website.

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By Inside GNSS
October 11, 2011

Interstate Launches First Common GPS Module–Based Receiver

L-3 Interstate Electronics Corporation (IEC) unveiled its next generation, military GPS receiver — incorporating a Common GPS Module (CGM) — at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2011 Annual Meeting and Exposition currently under way in Washington, D.C.

The company’s first CGM product processes precise code (P-code), coarse/acquisition code (C/A) code, and the modernized military M-code signals. In addition, the new design provides a common security architecture including improved anti-jam and anti-spoof capabilities.

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By Inside GNSS
October 4, 2011

GNSS Systems Reports: Compass ICD, Expanded QZSS, GLONASS Launches, GPS Budget Issues, Galileo Reprofiling

[Updated October 3] All five of the world’s major satellite navigation systems are poised to offer new capability — if the money comes through — program representatives told attendees at the recent Institute of Navigation’s GNSS 2011 conference in Portland.

The satellite navigation systems in China, Japan, and the United States have each recently had new satellites added, while those in Russia and Europe are poised for new launches. Budgets are in flux for most systems, however, so it remains to be seen how the systems will advance over the next year.

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By Inside GNSS
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