Europe's version of GPS reaches key phase

[cpzilliacus]

BBC News: Galileo: Europe's version of GPS reaches key phase

The third and fourth spacecraft in Europe's satellite navigation system have gone into orbit.

The pair were launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket from French Guiana.

With four satellites now in orbit - the first and second spacecraft were launched in 2011 - it becomes possible to test Galileo end-to-end.

[english si]

Ah yes, the EU space program that they started before it was made legal, was rejected (as part of the Constitution) by the people of France and Netherlands (many other countries didn't get to a vote) at referendum but they carried on, same again when Ireland rejected the Lisbon treaty and was told "wrong answer - vote again"...

Galileo is simply a massive vanity project - the sensible argument for it is basically "what if the US military shut off GPS?" - I can only imagine that occurring if the US was at war with the EU - and if you thought Obama getting the Nobel Peace Prize for simply being elected was a mockery of the prize, this year's winners* are preparing for a hypothetical massive war between them and a country that is basically their ally!^

The main governmental reasons for Galileo is, other than to try and compete in a long-over space race, to introduce satellite tolling of cars. And the main (but never uttered) reason to introduce satellite tolling is to give Galileo some purpose. You could argue it's to track our movements, but for all it's faults, the EU isn't quite that dictatorial.

*Not that the EU caused peace in Europe - the Cold War went a long way, as did a divided Germany, and France and Britain having nuclear weapons. Democracy, however, is the main reason for peace in Western Europe. The EU has simply created future war - it's desiring to be a new Yugoslavia - one state with an invented European nationality (Ryder Cup is the only time we see it) holding it together, yet it was awful in the way it dealt with the break up of it's prototype (and still holds two territories as basically empire protectorates - Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo).
^I should note that the EU often doesn't see it that way. 'Anglo-Saxon' values despised (and apparently causing the crash - to some extent true, but the Euro crisis came from the one-size fits-Germany-Netherlands-Austria-and-Finland-only interest rates policy and making it profitable to borrow money in PIIGS - not just cheap, but slightly profitable).

[kphoger]

The main governmental reasons for Galileo is . . . to introduce satellite tolling of cars.
And the main reason to introduce satellite tolling is to give Galileo some purpose.

Huh?  It sounds like someone built the technology and they just invented a use for it so it wouldn't go to waste.

[NE2]

Redundancy is good.

[agentsteel53]

Redundancy is good.

Redundancy is good.

[Scott5114]

Redundancy is good.

Redundancy is good.

Redundancy is good.

Redundancy is good.

[Road Hog]

Redundancy is redundantly redundant.

[kphoger]

Redundancy is redundantly redundant.

Redundancy is good.

Redundancy is good.

Redundancy is good.

Redundancy is good.

See also:

BBC News: Galileo: Europe's version of GPS reaches key phase

The third and fourth spacecraft in Europe's satellite navigation system have gone into orbit.

The pair were launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket from French Guiana.

With four satellites now in orbit - the first and second spacecraft were launched in 2011 - it becomes possible to test Galileo end-to-end.

Redundancy is good.

[mgk920]

The Department of Redundancy Department

Mike

Mike

[formulanone]

Just in case of a server failure, I've archived this redundancy by redundantly saving these posts right here in the same thread.

[ctsignguy]

This thread has been sanctioned by the US Department of Redundancy Department...and since Mike  Mike  said it already, this post is redundant before it was even written!