|
China to Help Europe Develop GPS Rival China is to contribute to a new global satellite navigation system being developed by European nations. The Galileo satellite system 51 a more accurate civilian alternative to the Global Positioning System, operated by the US military. China will provide 230m Euros in 52 and will cooperate with technical, manufacturing and market development. China will help Galileo to 53 the major world infrastructure for the growing market for location services, said Loyola de Palacio, EU transport commissioner. A new center that will coordinate co-operation was also announced 54 the European Commission, the European Space Agency and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology not long 55 The China-Europe Global Navigation Satellite System Technical Training and Cooperation Center will be 56 at Beijing University. China has a substantial satellite launch industry and could potentially help launch the Galileo satellites. The US has claimed that Galileo could interfere 57 the US ability to downgrade the GPS service during military conflicts. European officials say this is unfounded and counter that US opposition 58 the commercial challenge Galileo would present to GPS. Galileo will be precise to within a meter, while the civilian GPS service is accurate to around 10 meters. The Galileo satellite constellation will 59 27 operational and three reserve satellites orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 23,600km. The satellites will be strung along three medium-Earth orbits at 56 degrees inclination to the equator and will provide global coverage. The system should be operational by 2008 and the entire project is expected to 60 around 3.2 billion Euros . | 
