Has Galileo lost its way?

http://space.newscientist.com/article/mg19325956.000-has-galileo-lost-its-way.html
Political infighting is undermining the European Union's Galileo satellite
navigation network.
The positioning system was due to be up and running by 2011, ending
reliance on the Pentagon-controlled GPS system. Now Galileo's future is in
doubt because of power struggles in the consortium the European Union chose
to run it.

By the end of last year the consortium, which includes EADS Astrium and
Thales of France, was supposed to have formed a single company, says Paul
Verhoef, Galileo chief at the European Commission in Brussels. However,
arguments over funding and where to site ground facilities mean no company
has been formed, and orders have not been placed for its 26 satellites.
German analyst Bitkom now believes Galileo won't be running until at least
2014.

The delays last week forced the European Space Agency to order an
additional development satellite, called Giove-A2, to ensure it does not
lose its frequencies. When current test craft Giove-A stops broadcasting
Galileo signals next year, the International Telecommunications Union could
reassign the frequencies unless a new craft replaces it. Its second test
craft, Giove-B, has suffered repeated on-board computer problems and is
still on the ground.

The EU has had enough. Wolfgang Tiefensee, president of the EU's Council of
Transport Ministers, has demanded to know when the consortium plans to form
a company and place firm orders for the satellites. He is expected to
reveal the plans to European transport ministers on 22 March.

From issue 2595 of New Scientist magazine, 17 March 2007, page 29
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Just a point on this. I've alway been surprised that no one has challenged
the scumbag politicians in the UK when they talk about using satellite
tracking to charge us for using the roads. Just how can they charge us using
a system that doesn't belong to the UK in the first place? What would happen
if the USA decided to switch if off over Europe or put in such a large error
you could'nt tell if you are on an A road or a motorway?

Not possible.


That would wreck the US economy which is now highly dependant on the GPS
system..

--
Alan White
Mozilla Firefox and Forte Agent.
Twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, overlooking Lochs Long and Goil in Argyll,
Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/weather

Yes it is, and they did switch it off (or at least made it give highly
inaccurate readings) over the middle east on 17/1/91.


Not half as much as it wuld muck up a car tax system which totally relied on
it.

On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 19:47:35 -0000, "R. Mark Clayton"


Given that there are twenty-seven(?) active satellites and that each
satellite 'illuminates' slightly less than an earth hemisphere (the math
is simple trigonometry) please explain how it's possible to 'switch off'
Europe.

--
Alan White
Mozilla Firefox and Forte Agent.
Twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, overlooking Lochs Long and Goil in Argyll,
Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/weather