Development of the first phase of a satellite-based navigation system for Europe has been given the go-ahead by the Tripartite Group involving the European Commission, the European Space Agency and Eurocontrol. Final manufacturing negotiations on the contract for the ECU160 million ($192 million) programme are in their final throes.
An international group led by France's Alcatel will develop the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), which is designed to provide sole-means navigation for en route and terminal operations as well as for non-precision and precision approach phases of flight. Delivery of the system is set for February 2003, with service entry in 2005.
The Egnos will use a ground infrastructure, coupled with the Inmarsat 3 Indian Ocean Region and Atlantic Ocean Region West satellites and the Artemis satellite to augment the US global positioning and Russian Glonass satellite navigation systems.
Source: Flight International