Artist’s rendition of SES 5. Photo: SSL

[Via Satellite 09-2015] The first European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) payload, hosted on SES 5, is fully operational, SES announced Sept. 2. The EGNOS GEO 1 L-band hosted payload launched aboard SES 5 in July 2012, and is now active following extensive on-ground and in-space testing.

The EGNOS payload supplements Europe’s satellite navigation systems for enhanced accuracy of positioning determination to within 1.5 meters in order to help verify, improve and report on the reliability and accuracy of navigation positioning signals.

The European Commission awarded the independent contracts for two new EGNOS transponder services in 2007 and 2008. SES hosts both EGNOS payloads: one on SES 5 at 5 degrees east and the other on Astra 5B at 31.5 degrees east. Per the contract, SES also provides complementary hosting of the fully redundant ground equipment at its uplink sites in Betzdorf, Luxembourg and Redu, Belgium. The European Commission transferred these contracts to the European GNSS Agency (GSA) at the end of 2014.