[Satellite TODAY 12-28-11] The European Space Agency (ESA) has successful received the first triple-frequency signals from its Galileo in-orbit validation (IOV) spacecraft, ESA confirmed Dec. 27.

   ESA said that all Galileo signals were activated simultaneously for the first time across the European GNSS system’s three spectral bands in late December. The three bands are known as E1, E5 and E6.

   The signals were received by Galileo test user receivers deployed at the Redu ground station within Belgium’s Ardennes forest, as well as by identical receivers at ESA’s navigation laboratory in the Netherlands.

   ESA said the test user receivers were designed to work in the same way as commercial user equipment, which are capable of processing the open, commercial and safety-of-life service signals from the Galileo constellation. ESA plans to begin initial Galileo services in 2014.

ESA added that it is currently is focused on testing one of the Galileo IOVs launched Oct. 21. ESA expects to progress to the second satellite, Flight Model-2, in early 2012.