Thursday, December 22 2005 19:20 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: LogicaCMG today (Dec 22, 2005) said it has won a contract valued at six million Euros from EADS Astrium to develop the facility that will control the Galileo constellation, Europe's own global navigation satellite system.

When fully deployed, Galileo would comprise 30 satellites and would be inter-operable with the American Global Positioning System (GPS) and Russian Glonass, the two other global satellite navigation systems.

EADS Astrium, UK, is the segment prime contractor for the Galileo Ground Control Segment that contains the Satellite Constellation Control Facility (SCCF).

SCCF would initially be used to control the four Galileo satellites being developed within the European Space Agency's Galileo In-Orbit Validation (IOV) programme, a LogicaCMG statement said.

The design of the facility would allow it to eventually control the full 30 satellite constellation, it said.

LogicaCMG would now begin the process of selecting subcontractors from across Europe to supply the components necessary to develop the complex facility in accordance with the procurement procedures laid down by the European Space Agency, the statement said.