Thales Alenia Space has Won a New Key Contract in the Development of Galileo 2nd Generation

Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), as prime contractor for Galileo First Generation’s Ground Mission Segment, has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA), on behalf of the European Commission in the Horizon 2020 Satellite Navigation Program (HSNAV), to develop the Advanced Orbit Determination and Time Synchronisation (ODTS) Algorithms Test Platform (A-OATP). This new contract will support the implementation and experimentation of the navigation algorithms that will be used for Galileo Second Generation.

This contract follows Thales Alenia Space’s selections few months ago for Galileo Second Generation constellation for which the company will provide 6 satellites and initiate the B2 phase regarding the development and implementation of its ground segment.

Using its long-standing legacy regarding navigation algorithms in addition to an innovative approach, Thales Alenia Space will develop and test a new Advanced ODTS solution. These new orbitography algorithms will allow a significant improvement in positioning performance and real-time operability of the Galileo system, by exploiting the accuracy of GNSS orbit and clock estimation, with a solution optimized for the realtime generation of Galileo navigation messages, and taking fully advantage of the evolutions of satellites and ground stations considered in the 2nd Generation of Galileo.

With this new contract, Thales Alenia Space applies on a deep experience concerning orbitography algorithms as well as a good knowledge of the Galileo system, to strengthen its position as a major actor for the development of the new generation of this satellite system.