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Euro GPS network gets green light =
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PARIS, France (CNN) --European governments have given the final go-ahe=
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for the launch of the Galileo satellite navigation network, Europe's =
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answer to the U.S.-controlled Global Positioning System. =
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The long-delayed $3.6 billion (3.2 billion euro) system, Europe's bigg=
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ever infrastructure project, will be based on 30 satellites and should=
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operational by 2008. =
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Final agreement on the network was reached Monday at a meeting in Pari=
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members of the European Space Agency (ESA). =
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Galileo will be used to improve traffic management on land, sea and in=
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air around the world, as well as aiding all forms of navigation and =
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activities such as oil prospecting, scientific research and even hikin=
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"This is a great day for Europe in general and its space community in =
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particular," ESA director Antonio Rotota said in a statement. "Our mem=
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states have reached agreement in the common interest." =
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ESA says the Galileo program will give a much-needed boost to Europe's=
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ailing space industry, creating about 140,000 jobs and "a 460 percent =
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return on investment." =
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Unlike the American GPS system, Galileo will be under full civilian =
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control. =
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One meter accuracy =
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The U.S. satellite network is controlled by the Pentagon, which can =
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downgrade or totally disable non-military access during conflicts. =
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Galileo's civilian signal will also give locations accurate to within =
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meter (one yard) -- a significant improvement on that offered by the G=
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system. =
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The U.S. regards Galileo as a challenge to its superiority in space =
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technology and argues that it duplicates GPS. =
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Last year Deputy U.S. Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz warned that the=
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European network would "significantly complicate our ability to ensure=
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availability of critical military GPS services in a time of crisis, an=
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the same time assure that adversary forces are denied similar =
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capabilities." =
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ESA is playing down any rivalry with the American system, saying in it=
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statement Monday that Galileo would "complement" the GPS network. =
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The agency says devices for receiving Galileo's signals will be =
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interoperable with equipment used on GPS and GLONASS -- the partially =
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operable Russian-built network. =
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The first experimental Galileo satellite is due to be launched in 2004=
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will act as a test bed for the network's systems. =
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When complete Galileo will comprise 30 satellites (27 operational and =
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spares) positioned in three circular orbits 23,616 kilometers (14,677 =
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miles) above the Earth. =
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(Embedded image moved to file: pic16827.gif) =
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Find this article at: =
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http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/05/27/europe.galileo/index.html =
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