GPS Passion

Galileo funding arranged

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I seems that the funding of Galileo, European equivalent of GPS, is arranged now. The negotiation (read: bargaining) went on long into the night.

The involved companies were afraid that they would never recover the costs on the project, so the EU had to put another 2,4 billion euro on the table.
The EU discussion was for a big part where to get the money from. A few countries were against the plan to get the money from the (yes, you read it right!) fewer agricultural funds.
The compromise is that only 1,6 billion will be out of these pockets and the rest out of the budget of innovation and research.

All increases in costs must come out of this latest budget too.

It indeed looks strange that the money is coming from agricultural pockets, but don’t forget that this satellite system is more aimed at civil use than military. ;-)

via Tweaker.net (Dutch only)

Galileo facing another delay

Galileo, the answer to the US GPS system is delayed another time. This time it is said not being financial, but problems with the launching schedule of the Soyuz rocket that should bring the Galileo satellite up.
Put the new date in your pda: so around March 2008.