Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation constellation has taken anotherstep towards realisation with the shipment of the first of 14 Full OperationalCapability navigation payloads from Surrey Satellite Technology in the UK toprime contractor OHB System in Bremen, Germany.
The first two Galileo satellites were orbited in October, and two moreare due for launch at the end of this summer. These four, with payloads builtby Astrium UK in Portsmouth and integrated into satellite platforms by ThalesAlenia Space in Italy, will be followed by the SSTL-OHB spacecraft for launchfrom 2014.
Once all 14 are in orbit, the 18-strong constellation will providenear-global coverage. Full coverage is planned for 2018, with 30 satellites.