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DELAYS to the ambitious Galileo satellite navigation system have caused nervous European Union officials to start looking at alternatives to the current consortium of eight suppliers building the system.
German Transport Minister Wolgang Tiefensee has called for the entire Galileo tendering process to be re-run, saying the on-going delays were unacceptable.
The frustration of EU members surrounds the failure of the eight consortium winners – Alcatel-Lucent, EADS, Finmeccanica, Inmarsat, TeleOp and Thales and two Spanish firms AENA and Hispasat – to sign a contract to found the operating company for Galileo.
The Galileo project aims to launch 30 low earth orbit satellites by 2010 as part of an operational global navigation system by 2011 that would end Europe’s reliance on the US for GPS capabilities.
The latest delay problems are thought to involve the two Spanish members of the consortium, which are holding out on signing the contract unless Spain is given its own Galileo control centre.
The consortium members have been given a deadline of May 10 to have the operating company contract signed and in place. But Minister Tiefensee concedes that getting the cooperation of the consortium companies and the member states by that date would be difficult.
There are concerns that negotiations of a 20 year services contract are not likely to be finished by the end of next year, and could slip further.
Mr Tiefensee said a meeting of the EU Council of Transport Ministers would consider alternatives – including the possibility of a new round of bidding for the project – at a meeting scheduled for this week.
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