JEDDAH, 18 September 2005 — The Presidency of Civil Aviation (PCA) is to host a two-day seminar on Galileo’s Global Navigation Satellite System program at Hilton Hotel here on Sept. 26-27. “The Galileo Joint Undertaking will brief the audience on the applications and benefits of this new program, which is a European Commission and European Space Agency initiative,” a reliable source at the PCA told Arab News yesterday.
He explained that Galileo is the first global satellite positioning and navigation system designed specifically for civilian use. “The Galileo Joint Undertaking is charged with managing the program’s development phase (2002-2005) and with preparing the way for the operational phase,” he said.
He said that the joint undertaking between public and private sectors will supervise the development of the space and ground structure and will prepare the market for the forthcoming commercial operation. It will also help mobilize the necessary public funding by calling for tenders from the private sector for priority right to launch 26 satellites and to operate the system for a period of 20 years starting in 2008.
