In article ,
Matthew Wild wrote:
ANDREW ROBERT BREEN wrote:
Galileo, not GPS. A much better system (it'll have to be if it's to do a
fraction of what they're wanting it to do). The programme is being pushed
ahead hard and should be delivering in the next 3-5 years (depends how

Should have added - first satellite is up, more coming. Not checked in the
last few months on the launch schedule for the rest of it, and the best

I though Surrey Satellite Technology and, IIRC, Astrium had only recently
got contracts to build some development satellites. As it is, they've only
just agreed the frequencies they're going to use as the USAians were
complaining that the main signal would sit right on their military band and
they wouldn't be able to locally degrade Galileo without doing the same to
their own military.

You've got the better information there - I must have mixed up something
else with a Galileo launch.

Aha! Got it. First structual model of the Galileo satellite rolled out,
first launches planned for next year:

http://www.esa.int/esaNA/SEMVDX0XDYD_index_0.html

Have to say that fits in better with where I thought they were up to than
launched-already, which did puzzle me.

--
Andy Breen ~ Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
"Time has stopped, says the Black Lion clock
and eternity has begun" (Dylan Thomas)