It’s that time of year again. Preparations are already well underway for European Space Week 2019, which this year will take place at the Helsinki Congress Paasitorni in the Finnish capital on December 3-5. The week will be packed full of exciting events ranging from keynotes, discussions and conference sessions, to the E-GNSS User Assembly, a festive awards ceremony and much more.

The GNSS market is developing rapidly. Demand for precise location information is also growing and the evolution of GNSS technology is ongoing. In this environment, the 6th issue of the GSA GNSS Market Report, officially launched today, is a valuable tool enabling all stakeholders to skilfully navigate and benefit from the flourishing GNSS market.

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) together with Orolia, CNES, Enaire, Spanish Mission Coordination Centre (MCC), Spanish Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) and French MCC, have successfully performed end-to-end test tests with the airlines Iberia and Air France on remote beacon activation using the Galileo Return Link Service (RLS). The tests helped to assess and validate the operational concept for a potential new use of Galileo to support fast response in distress situations.

The GNSS Simulation and Testing Tools Infrastructure (GSTI) database has been recently updated to offer the developer community the most comprehensive catalogue of commercial tools available for professional use.

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is hosting a special event on September 10 to mark the 15th anniversary of its creation. The Agency was set up as the European GNSS Supervisory Authority in 2004 to oversee the development of the European space programmes EGNOS and Galileo.

The 2019 edition of the GSA’s GNSS Market Report will be launched in the autumn. As in previous years, the latest issue of the report will provide comprehensive information on the dynamic global GNSS market along with in-depth analysis of the latest global GNSS trends and developments. To be among the first to receive the Market Report straight into your inbox, register here.

The estimated number of Galileo-enabled smartphones in use has reached one billion. This significant milestone has been achieved in the week when the European GNSS Agency (GSA), responsible for operation of the Galileo programme, celebrates its 15th anniversary, making this a memorable week for the Agency.

Space is in high demand in the Galileo Demo Centre, opened at the NAVIS Centre in Hanoi by the BELS+ project. The Demo Centre provides European companies with a venue to showcase their GNSS-based solutions to stakeholders from South East Asia, and BELS+ is offering vouchers to interested companies to support the installation of their products in the Centre. The call to apply is closing soon, so don’t miss out!

Galileo Initial Services have now been restored. Commercial users can already see signs of recovery of the Galileo navigation and timing services, although some fluctuations may be experienced until further notice.

A team of experts from the European GNSS Agency, industry, the European Space Agency and the European Commission is currently implementing and monitoring recovery actions for an incident related to the Galileo ground infrastructure that resulted in a temporary interruption of the Galileo Initial Services. The key objective is to restore the Galileo navigation and timing services for users as soon as possible.