Brussels, 20/08/2014 (Agence Europe) -The “Galileo” constellation will soon consist of six satellites, following the launch of two new ones, Doresa and Milena, on Thursday 21 August at 2.31pm (CET) from Kourou, French Guiana.
By expanding this constellation a little more, the Galileo satellite navigation programme should be able to provide better cover and improved signal reception. The Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, said that this new launch “initiates Galileo's full operational capability phase”. Satellite launches are expected to be speeded up over the next few years and Galileo is expected to be brought up to strength of thirty satellites by 2020.
The Galileo system will provide a more accurate geo-navigation service that will benefit many sectors, such as farming, transport and security. By creating new applications through the data provided, it is hoped that the satellite navigation service market will generate revenues of €237 billion by 2020. (MD)