China, EU jointly develop Galileo Project

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, September 20, 2003

China, EU jointly develop Galileo Project

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China and the European Union (EU)kicked off Friday a joint training program on global navigational satellite systems on the basis of the Galileo Project, a European alternative to America's global positioning system (GPS).

Initiated by the European Union, the Galileo Project is aimed at civilian use of satellite navigation services, including transport, telecommunication, agriculture and fisheries.

An official from China's Ministry of Science and Technology said that the ministry and the EU Thursday signed a cooperative agreement on the Galileo Project, which was subject to authorization of the Chinese government and the European Commission respectively.

Under the agreement, the two sides might join in developing satellite navigation and timing, satellite manufacturing and launching, laboratory activities on radio transmission, standardization of receivers and applications research.

The agreement also opens a way for China to take a substantial financial part in the program through a stockholding in the Galileo Joint Undertaking, the body established to manage the program.

Francois Lamoureux, director general for transport and energy at the European Commission, said that European industry was eager to collaborate with China in providing satellite navigation services.

With the assistance of the EU Sixth Framework Program for research, several European companies were planning to invite Chinese partners to join forces to submit proposals for developing the application market for Galileo during the next few years, Lamoureux added.

There are two radio navigation satellite networks in the world,the GPS of the United States and the Russian Glonass systems, bothdesigned during the Cold War for military purposes. Since the Russian system has not generated any civil applications, Galileo offers an alternative to the monopoly of the U.S. GPS.

Providing high accuracy of real-time positioning, Galileo, is expected to be in commercial operation from 2008, a European technical expert said.

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