Galileo (satellite navigation)
Galileo is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that went live in 2016, created by the European Union through the European Space Agency (ESA), operated by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), headquartered in Prague, Czechia, with two ground operations centres in Fucino, Italy, and Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. The €10 billion project is named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei.
The headquarters of the EUSPA, which operates the Galileo system, in Prague
Galileo launch on a Soyuz rocket on 21 October 2011.
Galileo Control Centre at the DLR Oberpfaffenhofen site
Galileo In-Orbit Test (IOT) L-band (1,000 – 2,000 MHz) antenna at ESTRACK Redu Station
A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geopositioning. A satellite navigation system with global coverage is termed global navigation satellite system (GNSS). As of 2023, five global systems are operational: the United States's Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), India's Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), and the European Union's Galileo.
The U.S. Space Force's Global Positioning System was the first global satellite navigation system and the first to be provided as a free global service.
Launched GNSS satellites 1978 to 2014