Never again GPS? Europe is working on project 'Galileo' via Noordwijk

noordwijk - The navigation systems in our cars will be controlled via Noordwijk in a while. Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works, put a part of the new European navigation network into use on Wednesday.

Europe has been working on the system, called Galileo, for a few years now. It must be a counterpart of the commonly used GPS, that of the US Army. Around the earth, dozens of navigation satellites rotate, which can accurately determine the location of connected boxes up to 20 centimeters. In the coming years it has to be put into use little by little.

Galileo will soon not only help cars and ships to get from A to B. Rescue services can use the accurate data for searches. If someone makes an alarm at sea or in the mountains, Galileo can determine the exact location within 10 minutes. Now that takes a few hours.

'The drastic shortening of response time will save human lives in rescue operations', according to Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen. In the distant future, even aircraft must be able to land safely on autopilot thanks to Galileo.

The complex in Noordwijk is the Galileo Reference Center. This should monitor the performance of the satellites and the Galileo network. It costs over 4 billion euros to build all Galileo satellites and bring them into orbit around the earth. After that, the operation costs about 800 million euros per year.

Each satellite bears the name of a child from a European country. The Dutch probe is called Tijmen, after a boy from Gelderse Winssen.

Noordwijk is already home to the Estec space laboratory. That is the beating heart of European space travel. There are more than 2,500 highly educated people from all over Europe. They develop satellites and technologies and carry out scientific research.

Every European satellite that goes into space can only leave when it has been approved in Noordwijk.

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