Aug. 1 – The cooperation agreement between Telespazio and DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt) has been renovated. Together, they will continue to manage the operations of Galileo, the European satellite navigation program. The agreement between the Finmecanica / Thales company and the German Space Agency was first established through the joint venture with Spaceopal GmbH, founded in 2010 by Telespazio and DLR Space Applications (GFR), a subsidiary of DLR. Spaceopal is responsible for controlling the satellites and the Galileo mission, data processing, and navigation systems monitoring signal reception worldwide. These activities are carried out by Spaceopal through two Galileo Control Centers in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, and Fucino, Italy. The two centers already operate and manage the first four satellites of the Galileo team, which in 2014 will add two additional satellites. Galileo is of strategic importance for the European Union and its Member States. Its aim is to spread infrastructure and introduce services: the GSA, the agency for the European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), will gradually take over the management of the operational phase of the system. DLR and Telespazio, through Spaceopal, GSA’s main partner, manage Galileo operations, but also provide navigation services for users. Hence, for now Spaceopal manages the entire operation of Galileo. The operational tasks are currently carried out in the Galileo Control Centers of Oberpfaffenhofen (DLR) and Fucino (Telespazio), together with the European Centre for Operations Space (ESOC), the CNES and partners Airbus Defense & Space, SES-RSS, British Telecom Global Service, Vitrociset Belgium, and T-Systems International. “In this way, we intend to ensure the stability and continuity of the program,” said Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Chairman of the Board of Directors of DLR. Galileo is a program funded by the European Union on behalf of the European Commission, and is led by the European Space Agency (ESA).
