EU satellite system faces cashflow woes

EU satellite system faces cashflow woes

http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/EU-satellite-system-faces-cashflow-woes/2005/10/07/1128562992484.html

A funding row could permanently ground Europe's planned Galileo
satellite navigation system, the head of Italy's space agency has told
a German newspaper.

Galileo, the European Union's answer to the US Global Positioning
System (GPS), is designed to help motorists navigate, assist search and
rescue operations and monitor crops and livestock when it goes into
service in 2008.

"If we do not find a solution over the allocation of additional costs
by the end of October, the whole Galileo project is in question,"
Sergio Vetrella, president of the Italian space agency ASI, told Die
Welt newspaper in an article made available in advance of publication
on Thursday.

Vetrella said he was particularly concerned by what he saw as delaying
tactics by the Germans, the paper said.

Die Welt said Germany was delaying contributing to extra costs of up to
430 million euro ($A706.66 million) required for the starting phase of
the project in 2006.

According to the German Aerospace Centre, Germany is keen first to
settle how the work will be divided, Die Welt said.

Germany wants a site near Munich to be home to the Galileo control
centre, Italy wants the centre to be near Rome, while the French and
Spanish favour locations in their countries.

Vetrella said the parties had to agree a basic outline by the end of
the month. Otherwise, the program may not start as planned in early
2006, leading to additional costs.

Galileo will eventually have 30 satellites orbiting almost 24,000 km
(15,00 miles) above the earth.

It will be interoperable with GPS as well as GLONASS, Russia's global
satellite navigation system.

Europe is launching Galileo to ensure independent, uninterrupted access
to such a system, which the other two military-operated systems cannot
guarantee.