After a brief Galileo snapshot of current status, I will proceed as requested with predictions of life in a multiple-GNSS world. We have secured an additional budget of 3.4billion euros, mainly for developing and launching the Galileo constellation, with the key objective of a full operational capability in 2013.
Similar in many aspects to GPS, GLONASS has performed much less successfully on a commercial scale, failing – so far – to create significant business worldwide. Today, however, the commercialization of GLONASS has taken a new and more promising direction, receiving strong encouragement from the Russian government. We look forward to GLONASS being completely restored to its full operational capabilities within the next few years, and we are certain that this time GLONASS will create successful business opportunities worldwide.
The possibility, currently under consideration, of actually dropping an important accuracy augmentation element of GPS – the Nationwide Differential GPS (NDGPS) – before alternatives are available would certainly undermine worldwide confidence in the U.S. commitment to continuing to provide service equal to or better than what is already there.
For many, GPS is at its best performance ever, with 29 satellites in orbit and user range errors at their lowest levels in years. Yet for others, GPS performance falls short of expectations.
The Task Force viewed raising awareness level among the nation?s senior leadership as key to addressing some of the other problems facing the program.
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