EU satellite system faces cashflow woes

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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.

Source: Nine MSN

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Only he who does nothing, does nothing wrong.

BarMoo

GLONASS?

You learn something new everyday. Very cold-war ish.

Don't know why the European version has 30 satellites? GPS has 24 in use and 3 'spare'. Galileo - more precision?

Mark.

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Have Fun, Moo.