Russia and EU step up satnav race

Russia and EU step up satnav race

By Andrew Bounds in Brussels

Published: April 8 2008 02:44 | Last updated: April 8 2008 02:44

A space race between the European Union and Russia quickened on Monday with separate announcements of plans to speed up work on their respective satellite navigation systems.

The EU and Russia aim to compete with the US by building more accurate rivals to the military-run global positioning system (GPS), which has spawned a high-tech market in receivers and digital maps.

EU transport ministers rubber-stamped plans to build Galileo, its troubled €4bn (£3bn, $6.3bn) system, entirely from taxpayer funds, paving the way to tender contracts.

Moscow separately said that its upgraded Glonass system would have six further satellites to ensure it could cope with malfunctions. Both constellations will have 30 in orbit.

Viktor Kosenko, first deputy chief designer of state-run OAO Information Satellite Systems, told a conference that Glonass would have the 18 satellites for domestic coverage in place this year and the 24 needed for global coverage next year, Bloomberg reported.

Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has poured money into modernising the cold war-era system.

Moscow aims to beat the EU into space. Galileo’s second satellite is to be launched this month and it will not be fully operational until 2013.

Nevertheless, Monday’s decision was a “decisive step”, the bloc said.

Radovan Zerjav, the transport minister of Slovenia chairing the ministerial talks, said: “We are sending a clear message to Europe and the world that Europe remains committed to its goal of allowing all European citizens and companies a high quality satellite navigation system by 2013.”

Infighting between governments and companies wanting a share of the lucrative business has delayed Galileo by more than a year.

A group of private contractors pulled out of funding it last year because they would not be assured a return on their investment.

There will be six publicly financed contracts to build the €3.4bn system, to be issued in the next few months by the European Space Agency, which is managing the project with the European Commission.

The contracts are likely to be shared out among big European aerospace companies, such as Thales of France and Franco-German EADS, in an effort to champion cutting-edge engineering in the EU.

A seven-strong body comprising three representatives of government, one from the Commission and three members of the European parliament will meet quarterly to oversee the construction process and try to head off political disputes.

“We believe they will have regard to the European interest rather than their own country’s,” said one European diplomat.

Russia and the EU expect the taxpayers’ money spent on the projects to be recouped by selling their services. They will be compatible with GPS, which is also being upgraded.

Galileo will be accurate to within a metre.

A new generation of mobile phones can use satellite navigation to guide owners through cities and find the nearest pizza restaurant or hospital.