One Year of Galileo Signals and Dedicated Website
On 12th January 2006, GIOVE-A began transmitting Galileo navigation signals. This satellite is the first flight element in ESA’s in-orbit validation programme for Galileo. GIOVE-A successfully completed the initial tasks in its mission. Also, a dedicated website provides general information to the public and measurement data and core products to registered external users who are collaborating with ESA on the mission experiments.
The receivers that have been developed for Galileo were able to receive the first signals at ESA sites at Redu (Belgium) and Noordwijk (Netherlands), at the Chilbolton Observatory (UK) and at the Guildford (UK) mission control centre of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, the prime contractor for
The navigation signal has been broadcast continuously to fulfil the other important objectives of the GIOVE mission:
- verification of the critical technologies for the Galileo satellites, including the on-board Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standard (RAFS) clocks, the navigation signal generator and the chain of equipment that comprises the navigation payload
- characterisation of the novel features of the Galileo signal design, including the verification of user receivers and their resistance to interference and multi-path reception in realistic static and dynamic conditions, aiming to better estimate the effect on navigation services and future applications
- characterisation of the radiation environment of the Medium Earth Orbit (23,260km altitude) planned for the Galileo constellation, to better understand this particular environment – particularly the radiation doses and electro-magnetic fields that could affect the design of the operational system
