EU launches first phase of satellite navigation project

The European Union launched the first satellite in its $4-billion Galileo project Wednesday to provide navigation for sailors, motorists and map-makers.

The satellite took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz rocket. It was released into orbit and began transmitting signals, scientists said.

The Galileo program is to replace Europe's reliance on the U.S. Global Positioning System, which is operated by the U.S. Defence Department.

The Pentagon had criticized Galileo as a potential security threat during wartime. It claimed that its signals could interfere with future GPS signals intended for use by the U.S. military.

The project will eventually use about 30 satellites and is expected to more than double the coverage of GPS. The European Space Agency has said that because Galileo is under civilian control, it can guarantee operation at almost all times, unlike the American system.

The ESA also claims the system will be more precise by nearly four metres.

Galileo receivers which can switch back and forth between GPS and Galileo should be available to customers in 2008. The Galileo system should be fully functional by 2010.