Two satellites of the Galileo project were launched into orbit yesterday when in Europe it was evening from French Guiana using a Soyuz ST-B rocket. The two satellites are part of the Galileo project, an alternative to GPS created by the European Union, of which they represent an important step because the first two satellites had been launched into orbit on October 21, 2011 and four is the minimum number to have a constellation and test the system.

After the tests necessary to make sure that the new pair of satellites is working properly, the quartet is supposed to be able to achieve a navigational fix on the ground getting from the various satellites its latitude, longitude, altitude and a time reference. Thore are exactly four data and that’s why at least four satellites are needed to obtain them.

In addition to the traditional services currently provided by the GPS satellite network, the Galileo system will also provide assistance to the international COSPAS-SARSAT system that handles alarms and location of users in danger. The SAR (Search and Rescue Support Service) service greatly enhances the performance of the COSPAS-SARSAT system by expanding its coverage, currently limited and approximate, to the whole planet. The reception of the distress signals will be much quicker and the location much more precise. The two satellites launched yesterday are the first equipped with antennas suitable for those search and rescue operations.

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The development of the Galileo system suffered delays. The first prototype of the system, the GIOVE-A (Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element) satellite, was put into orbit on December 28, 2005. The second prototype, the GIOVE-B satellite, was launched into orbit on April 27, 2008. Initially, China was part of the project but later decided to develop its own alternative Beidou system, which became operational at the end of last year.

The four satellites now in orbit are those of the IOV (In-Orbit Validation) phase, which serves precisely to validate the system. If all goes well, Galileo will be operational in 2014 and will eventually have 30 satellites in orbit to form its full constellation. They will be placed in different orbits of the type called medium earth orbit at 23,222 km of altitude. When they are operating, they’ll use two ground control centers in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, and Fucino, Italy.

The Galileo system is an alternative to GPS, developed by the U.S.A. Department of Defense and made available for civilian use by the order of then President Ronald Reagan in 1983, after a Korean airliner got out of route route entering USSR airspace USSR and Soviet aviation shot it down. It’s still controlled by the Americans and this is the reason why alternative systems were created.

Being independent from the American GPS can be important but the Galileo system will also be very accurate and reliable providing greater coverage and a high signal availability in urban areas. You just have to have a little patience to be able to start using it.