Rainer Grohe, executive director of the Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU), says the Galileo project is one of the most significant space projects ever undertaken in Europe, but also believes the potential of the system goes far beyond just satellite navigation.

Galileo “has a high political importance,” Grohe told Satellite Today. “It is the first real technical or scientific project that Europe is doing jointly. When it comes to satellite navigation, it will allow Europe to play the role of the forerunner in applications of all kinds, such as tracking. There will also be applications we have not even thought of, which will develop over time. Galileo is a system which has a global coverage with timing signals, which can carry information back and forth. The challenge is to make use of all the features.”

An exclusive interview with Grohe can be found in the Oct. 23 issue of Satellite News. For more information about subscribing to Access Intelligence’s satellite newsletters, check out our Web site at https://www.satellitetoday.com