The European Union and Ukraine have confirmed preparedness for cooperation in the creation of an all- European global navigation Satellite System (GNSS).
In keeping with the agreement reached, the ad hoc expert team being set up within the framework of the Ukraine-EU cooperation committee will work out optimum organizational, economic, scientific and financial aspects of partnership in European projects EGNOS/Galileo, Yevhen Manokhin, head of the National Outer Space Agency’s department, told Interfax-Ukraine.
He said the NOSAU was building a surface infrastructure for the already functioning outer space navigation systems GPS/GNSS within the framework of program for the creation of a single navigation space in Ukraine.
The infrastructure is being created under the methods similar to the European EGNOS project, which has predetermined the expediency of Ukraine’s accession to the European project, he added.
The development of the surface segment, including a center for control over the navigation field and a network of control and correction stations all across Ukraine, as well as the surface infrastructure EGNOS, is slated for 2002-2003, Yevhen Manokhin said.
The completion of the formation of an orbital grouping to be situated on medium and geo-stationary orbits, as well as an ultimate commissioning of the tri-frequency European global navigation satellite system Galileo, are slated for 2008.
The participation in EGNOS/Galileo will make it possible to secure a highly effective functioning of the system of international transport corridors running across Ukraine, and will open access to high-accuracy time-navigation information for a broadest use, including in the national economy, science and security, Mr.Manokhin noted.
Under tentative estimates, the predicted volume of profit to be gained from the implementation of the program for the creation of the global navigation satellite system Galileo launched in 1999 by the EU jointly with the European Space Agency, is expected to reach EUR 20 bn a year.
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