IT HERALDS an independence day of sorts. As Â鶹´«Ã½ went to press, the European Space Agency (ESA) was gearing up to launch the first two of its , the beginning of the end of European dependence on the US fleet.
The eventual Galileo fleet of 30 satellites promises to boost both navigation and science: combining information from GPS and Galileo should allow positions to be determined more accurately than GPS alone. It will also be a civilian venture, whereas GPS is run by the US military.
Don’t hold your breath though: the endeavour is already 12 years behind …
