EUTELSAT 5 West B is hosting the Eutelsat-procured EGNOS payload under a 15-year agreement signed in 2017 with the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA).
Eutelsat Communications announced this week that the GEO-3 payload of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS), a hosted payload aboard its EUTELSAT 5 West B satellite, has successfully entered into service.
Hosting EGNOS is part of a contract signed in 2017 between EUTELSAT 5 West B and the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA). The contract also includes technical services and European ground infrastructure, including two gateways installed at Eutelsats Rambouillet and Cagliari teleports.
Commenting on the development, Yohann Leroy, Eutelsats Deputy CEO and Chief Technical Officer, said: “Eutelsat is proud of the collaboration with its customer GSA, its partners including the European Space Agency, and its suppliers, culminating in the entry into service of this next-generation technology of EGNOS on EUTELSAT 5 West B. We are delighted to host this payload, which will significantly enhance the performance of global navigation satellite systems across Europe, notably Galileo, in the coming years.
Pascal Claudel, GSA Acting Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, remarked: With this new payload in service, EGNOS is moving towards the transition to its new generation. This has been done thanks to the constructive collaboration with Eutelsat. Delivery and continuity of satellite services are part of our mission as delegated by the European Commission. It is essential that we, at the GSA, ensure these services to support economic growth and that the European Unions citizens and companies can benefit from the latest GNSS technology.