The Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU) approved a joint bid June 27 from the members of the Eurely and iNavSat consortia to develop the Galileo satellite navigation system.

The two consortia will jointly develop the system and begin final concession contract negotiations with the GJU to formalize the Galileo Public Private Partnership by the end of this year.

The founding members of Eurely and iNavSat – AENA, Alcatel, EADS, Finmeccanica, Hispasat, Inmarsat, and Thales – agreed to combine their bids into a single offering June 17 after the GJU failed to meets its March deadline for selecting a winner.

“Our merged consortia brings together the highest levels of European technological expertise to deliver a European solution to this technical challenge,” representatives of the consortia said in a statement. “We believe this path will generate a significant advantage to the people of Europe and the wider world. We are committed to a team solution, within the timeframe agreed with the GJU.”