A Galileo Full Operational Capability (FOC) satellite. Photo Credit: ESA

The European Space Agency (ESA) selected GMV to help with the the next phase of Galileo Second Generation (G2g). GMV is one of the three main phase-B contractors for the G2G project, the company revealed Monday. This phase will focus on ground segment implementation and development.

Galileo is Europe’s satellite-based navigation and positioning system. Galileo First Generation (G1G) has been running since December 2016, and consists of 26 satellites and ground infrastructure. The G2G project’s main objectives are to phase in new services, improve existing services, and improve system security, while also cutting both operating and maintenance costs.

G2G is divided into several phases. In the first, led by ESA, mission requirements were defined at system level. This was followed by a preparation phase, leading to the implementation phase. Since 2018, GMV has been heading a consortium working on G2G’s ground segment in the preparation phase.

Currently, Galileo provides 20 cm-precision Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services for over 400 million users around the world. In 2019, the Galileo system suffered a service outage.