Thales Alenia Space Takes New Steps in Satellite Navigation Programs, EGNOS and Galileo

June 23, 2022

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Thales Alenia Space, joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a new contract with the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) to develop, qualify and deploy the new European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) version. Thales Alenia Space has also just reached a new milestone in the Galileo program with the integration of a new satellite into Galileo’s Ground Mission Segment (GMS) which will improve positioning service for 3.3 billion users.

New contract to develop the next version of EGNOS
The EGNOS system improves positioning accuracy, reliability and integrity by enhancing the performance of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) such as GPS and, in the future, Galileo. The main service provided by EGNOS today is to support civil aviation operations for specific GNSS approaches. The EGNOS Safety of Life service launched in 2011 has thus made the aviation sector safer and more efficient for European operators. In addition to increased safety, it has made airports more accessible and is helping to reduce aviation's environmental footprint.

Thales Alenia Space will provide EUSPA and the EU Navigation community with a new version of EGNOS (V243), whose operations will be secured by a new state-of-the art Navigation Land Earth Station technology developed by Thales Alenia Space – NLES-G3. The NLES transmits the EGNOS message containing all accuracy & integrity corrections to the Geostationary satellites for broadcast to users as aviation operators. Thales Alenia Space NLES-G3 will be integrated with a new geostationary satellite “GEO3” which will enhance the EGNOS system and its end-to-end performance.

Certification and commissioning of this latest version is slated for 2024.

New milestone on Galileo will improve positioning service to 3.3 billion users
Thales Alenia Space, prime contractor for Galileo First Generation’s Ground Mission Segment, achieved a new milestone as the Galileo constellation is approaching the last steps before its completion with the launch of GSAT0223 satellite which has increased the operational constellation to 23 satellites for Positioning and 25 for the Search And Rescue.

This new satellite has successfully been positioned in orbit and its payload signals inserted in the Ground Mission Segment (GMS) operational chain of Galileo. The GMS is generating the world most accurate satellite ephemerids enabling to reach a decametric ranging accuracy.
With the entry in service of this satellite, the GMS now serves more than 3,3 billion Galileo users who will benefit from an enhanced Positioning and Timing Service.

“This new Galileo milestone demonstrates that Thales Alenia Space is successfully completing the ground segment which will improve Galileo's position by integrating a new satellite. We are also delighted to have been selected to develop this new EGNOS version and to introduce a next generation of uplink Navigation Land Earth Station (NLES). At Thales Alenia Space, we are preparing for the future and we are committed to innovate and continuously develop new solutions for our satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) customers and Galileo users around the world” said Benoit Broudy Vice President, Navigation Business at Thales Alenia Space.

Source : Thales