neo1980 Posted March 17, 2002 Share Posted March 17, 2002 By BBC News Online's Helen Briggs Millions of cars, trucks and ships use the network of satellites known as the Global Positioning System (GPS), to pinpoint their exact location on a map and find their way from A to B. To abandon Galileo at this point would serve notice that Europe is prepared to confer the leadership of major projects to the US David Baker, Jane's Space Directory More uses of the technology look set to follow - such as building GPS receivers into mobile phones to allow emergency services to locate a caller in the event of an accident. However, some analysts say emerging applications are being hampered by concerns that information from the global satellite network, which is run by the United States, could be switched off or restricted in the event of a security threat. It is these fears that are fuelling calls for the adoption of Galileo, a separate network of satellites that would be controlled by Europe. But at a total projected cost of 3.2 billion euros (?1.9bn), there are doubts in the Union as to whether the independence afforded by Galileo is really worth it. read the restHere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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