EU Launches Free Satellite Navigation Network

[Satellite TODAY 10-05-09] The European Union (EU) has launched Egnos, a free satellite navigation network based on an enhanced version of the U.S. global positioning system  (GPS), the EU announced Oct. 2.
      Egnos incorporates three satellites and 34 ground stations that improve the accuracy of the GPS system from around 7 meters to 2 meters. The system is designed to vertical accuracy to help pilots during landings.
     “It will make all personal navigation applications much more precise, giving birth to new possibilities like guiding aids for blind people,” the EU said in a statement.
     The project was coordinated with the European Space Agency and the aviation safety authority, Eurocontrol. Egnos is a stepping-stone to the 4 billion euro ($5.8 billion) Galileo satellite navigation project, Europe’s largest planned space program.

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