50th GSA Administrative Board meeting in Prague

Jean-Yves Le Gall, CNES President and Chair of the GSA Administrative Board, was in Prague today for the Board’s 50th meeting. GSA, the European GNSS Agency, is based in Prague and tasked with managing and operating the EGNOS and Galileo satellite navigation systems on behalf of the European Union. Since its inception, GSA has proved its ability to bring together the best experts from across the EU to develop Europe’s satellite navigation programmes.

With four new satellites poised to launch from the Guiana Space Centre atop an Ariane 5, taking the number of orbiting satellites in the Galileo constellation to 22, this meeting provided the opportunity to review GSA’s impressive list of accomplishments. Among these, GSA is in charge of operating the EGNOS system that is transforming how satellite positioning systems are used in Europe and around the globe. And since 15 December 2016, Galileo initial services are fully operational.

With an ultimate constellation of 30 satellites and 20 ground stations around the globe, Galileo will provide positioning with sub-metric accuracy and authenticated timing signals accurate to a few billionths of a second. Leveraging its multiple competencies, GSA is leading the way with the services that are set to develop now that Apple’s iPhone 8 and iPhone X and the Samsung Galaxy 8 are equipped with chips able to receive Galileo signals.

After the meeting, Jean-Yves Le Gall commented: “This 50th meeting of GSA’s Administrative Board comes at a crucial juncture when all the lights are going green for Europe’s satellite navigation systems. EGNOS is being taken up across Europe and the globe, while Galileo is now offering initial services that are set to become ubiquitous as demand for applications from the Internet of Things and autonomous vehicles begins to ramp up. On this occasion, I want to thank all of GSA’s employees, the officials at the European Commission and ESA, the representatives of member states and all of Europe’s space industry for flying the European flag with such distinction.”

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CONTACTS
Fabienne Lissak    Head of Media    Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 78 37    fabienne.lissak@cnes.fr
Pascale Bresson   Press Officer     Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 75 39    pascale.bresson@cnes.fr
Raphaël Sart          Press Officer    Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 74 51    raphael.sart@cnes.fr

cp176-2017_-_50eme_reunion_du_conseil_de_la_gsa_va.pdf (pdf - 82.15 KB)