Thanks to this test bed system, an EGNOS-like signal has since mid-February been transmitted from space, providing users with a GPS augmentation signal and enabling them to compute their positions to an accuracy of a few metres. The EGNOS test bed signal is currently available in the coverage area of the AOR-E satellite and as of May it will be available in the coverage area of the IOR spacecraft.
This pre-operational version of EGNOS will allow Europe to support demonstration of the operational benefits of GNSS to user communities. The test bed will be used for all modes of transport (air, land and maritime) that require positioning services to accuracies of a few metres, and more particularly safety-critical services. For aviation users, for instance, EGNOS will provide for en-route navigation as well as non-precision approach and precision approach phases of flight.
Furthermore, this early EGNOS version is helping to prepare the future operational introduction of EGNOS in Europe and is demonstrating the potential for extending the EGNOS service beyond Europe's borders. It is at the same time paving the way for the future Galileo satellite navigation system.
ESA is responsible for the overall operations of the EGNOS System Test Bed and, in performing this role, is working in close co-operation with the French space agency CNES and the Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) which have also made in-kind contributions to development. Development of the EGNOS System Test Bed was managed by Alcatel Space Industry, ESA prime contractor for EGNOS and by the subcontractors GMV (E), Racal (UK), Seatex (N) and Dornier Satelliten Systeme (D).
The European Commission is more specifically responsible for the promotion of applications and user equipment, an activity which will rely largely on the use of the EGNOS System Test Bed. Financial support is also provided by EC for the EGNOS project, in particular for the lease of INMARSAT-3 transponders and implementation of the Artemis navigation payload.
