Strasbourg, 13/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - The first signals from Galileo (the European equivalent of the American GPS) have been emitted and have enabled a position to be determined, the European Commission stated on Monday 12 March.
This achievement sets the stage for the operation of the European radio navigation system, which is due to be effective from 2014 and which will supply even more precise data. It is satellites placed in orbit in 2011 and 2012 which have enabled these signals - as well as all the infrastructure that exists on the ground, including control centres in Germany and Italy. European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship Antonio Tajani expressed his delight, saying: “Even though we are still in the process of validating the system, we have demonstrated that all components of this complex system work in harmony. This is great news for the 2014 milestone when initial operations will commence and it is an encouragement for those preparing innovative services and products based on Galileo”. (MD/transl.fl)