NovAtel [Nasdaq: NGPS], a Calgary, Canada-based precise positioning technology company, has been authorized to begin work on a C$186,900 (US$143,000) contract from the Canadian Public Works & Government Services for development of a prototype receiver for the European Galileo satellite navigation system.

NovAtel plans to use its new L5 positioning receiver to develop a pre-production level Galileo capable receiver. The new receiver will be configured to track the binary offset carrier ranging code that is proposed to be transmitted at the Galileo L1 frequency.