GPS World: Norway Joins EU Galileo Project - GPS System Integration Design & Test

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Norway Joins EU Galileo Project - GPS System Integration Design & Test

The Norwegian government has decided that Norway shall participate in the Galileo project together with the 27 members of the European Union (EU). Norway is not a member of the EU. The Norwegian participation would cost almost 600 million Norwegian kroner (USD 93 million) over five years. The bill is expected to be passed by the Norwegian parliament in the course of this spring. During earlier Galileo system design, Norway was able to influence the choice of the Galileo constellation, with the purpose of getting as good coverage in the Nordic countries as in Central and Southern Europe. Originally, the constellation was proposed to consist of satellites in both geostationary and inclined orbits, but after simulations carried out at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim the geostationary orbits were abandoned because of reduced performance at high latitudes. Now, an agreement with the European Union has been negotiated, resulting in active Norwegian participation in Galileo. This will give Norwegian companies full access to bidding for EU development contracts, among other things, and is very much welcomed by Norwegian industry. It is assumed that this will be worth about ten times as much as the direct Norwegian contribution to Galileo funding.