The group of European Union administrations associated to the European satellite radionavigation system known as Galileo (GLS group) met for the sixth time in Paris on 7 November.
The meeting focused on preparation for the first consultation meeting between RNSS (radionavigation by satellite service) system notifying administrations, as per Resolution 609 of the 8-9 December World Radiocommunications Conference in (WRC03) in Geneva, held in the framework of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
The European Commission (EC) representatives at this meeting recommended that the various GLS group administrations should attend the first ITU consultation meeting. The EC, via the respective representatives (Joint Undertaking - JU), will also participate as an observer. On behalf of the GLS group countries, this process will naturally be led by France, as notifying administration of the satellite systems that comprise Galileo.
Participants in the GLS meeting agreed that the MSATNAV-2 system will become the Galileo filing representative at those consultation meetings. The first simulations realised by the Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) and by ALCATEL-SPACE for epfd values and presented at the encounter were done for that filing. The European Space Agency (ESA) also presented a document on that system (MSATNAV-2), containing some parameters to take into account when calculating epfd.
An annex to Resolution 609 (WRC03) defines milestones to eliminate the possibility that so-called ?paper? satellites can be considered at consultation meetings. The notifying administrations will thus have to submit documents proving the agreement to build or acquire satellites and clear proof of the agreement signed for their launch. As such are confidential documents, the Resolution indicates that the notifying administration is responsible for the veracity of said documentation, and may for example submit a written commitment, for which in Galileo?s case France will be responsible.
Two documents were also presented, with calculations by the ANFR and Alcatel Space. According to the authors, the differences may for example be due to eventual differences over antenna parameters.
The meeting was chaired by the ANFR and attended by delegates from the French, Italian, Portuguese and English administrations, and from the JU (Joint Undertaking), Alcatel Space, CNES (France), Astrium (Germany), ESA, French Transports Ministry and an expert from the Signal Task Force (STF).
The next meeting has been scheduled for 16 March 2004 in Paris.
