European Space Agency to Launch Navigation Satellites in 2015

Six additional satellites from the European Galileo GNSS system are scheduled to be launched in 2015 as reported by Space Daily.

Galileo is a globally focused GNSS system which will both compete and compliment the US managed GPS system and Russian GLONASS system. Galileo currently has six satellites in orbit (the latest of which was just boosted into the correct orbit) and with this launch will increase the number of space vehicles in the constellation.

By 2020 all 30 (24 operational and 6 spare) satellites are scheduled to be launched and the system to be fully operational.

Benefits to Canadian operators who use Galileo capable receivers such as the Trimble Geo 7 series of handhelds will be increased coverage, lower time without signal and a major benefit will be increased coverage in the far north as the constellation is designed to better support the northern latitudes than either the GPS or GLONASS systems.