Galileo: Europe's Overpriced Navigation System Heads for Space

Oct. 23, 2011— -- It is years behind schedule. But on Friday, two satellites belonging to the European navigation system Galileo are heading into orbit. The system promises to be more precise than anything currently available. But Europe has paid dearly for its autonomy.

There are some, of course, who might say the launch came a decade late. But officially, Friday's launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana -- carrying the first two satellites for the European navigation system Galileo -- was only delayed by one day.

Originally set for liftoff on Thursday, an "anomaly (was) detected during fueling," according to a statement released soon after the aborted launch by Arianespace, the commercial arm of the European Space Agency. Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall stressed that the problem had to do with on-the-ground fueling equipment rather than with the rocket itself. The defective part was quickly replaced.

The precaution is understandable. When it takes off, the Soyuz rocket will be carrying a valuable payload -- nothing less than the technical heart of the new navigation system, Europe's answer to the GPS system. Each of the two satellites contains two atomic clocks from Spectra time, a Swiss company famous for the precision -- and prices -- of its time pieces. Each clock costs a few hundred thousand euros, and are far from elegant. Indeed, they look similar to a mechanic's metal toolbox. But these clocks only lose or gain one second about every 3 million years.

Overkill?

The clocks -- the first of what will eventually become an entire fleet of time-pieces orbiting the Earth -- have a second advantage as well. They are made in Europe. "In Europe, there is only one manufacturer of atomic clocks suitable for use in space -- us," Jean-Yves Courtois, CEO of Spectra Time's parent company, Orolia, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Since Galileo is meant to serve as the European alternative to GPS, Courtois finds it only logical to rely exclusively on technology from Europe.

Precaution dictates that each satellite carries two clocks -- one powered by hydrogen and one by rubidium per satellite -- in case one proves defective. Once in space, the satellites transmit the time along with their current position down to earth, where receiving devices can then calculate their positions using information from four satellites.What Galileo Can Do

Once the Soyuz rocket releases its payload more than 23,000 kilometers (14,290 miles) above the Earth's surface, the satellites -- named Natalia and Thijs, after two children from Bulgaria and Belgium who won an art contest -- will have to cope with a constant barrage of cosmic radiation. The atomic clocks will also have to be regularly recalibrated by even more precise timing devices back on Earth. A technical masterpiece, Galileo goes into initial operation in 2014 -- and will offer three navigation services that are more exact than the American GPS system:

a free "open service" that can accurately track automobiles down to the meter in addition to assisting in measuring plots of land; an encrypted "commercial service," available for a fee, that promises even more precision; a service for "safety-of-life" applications, such as air- and rail-traffic control. This particular option has a built-in warning system that alerts users when the signal quality from the satellites fluctuates.

Once Galileo is fully operational -- forecast for 2020 -- two additional services will be available: