Agreement made on satellite system

AN agreement that ensures compatibility between America’s Global Positioning Satellite system and its future European counterpart, Galileo, was signed at the Dromoland Castle summit.

President Bush said this agreement will protect common security, improve the delivery of emergency services and result in further economic co-operation between the EU and the US.

“The two systems will be compatible and interoperable. And users from business to science to government in America and Europe will benefit,” he said.

Galileo, a joint European Commission and European Space Agency initiative, is the first global satellite positioning and navigation system designed specifically for civilian use world wide.

Based on a constellation of thirty satellites orbiting at an altitude of 24,400 kilometres, it will feature full interoperability with the US GPS and Russian Glonass systems, both of which were originally designed for military use.

While GPS, the American system, is available to civil users since the 1990s, Galileo is intended to be operational by 2008. It aims to provide satellite navigation users and equipment providers with a broader range of services.

The global satellite navigation market doubled from 2002 to €20 billion last year. In 2020, the annual market of the industry, both for services and hardware, could be e300 billion.

Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen, European Commission vice president Loyola De Palacio and US Secretary of State Colin Powell signed the agreement.

Minister Cowen estimated that Galileo will create more than 150,000 jobs in Europe alone.