In view of the possibility of derailing the NI deadline thread, I’ve decided to open this one specifically for One Web/Galileo discussions.
JBR asked what was happening with One Web (our version of Galileo) and this is the latest as published in today’s DE:
The 2 systems are different in their approaches. Galileo is the EU’s version of the US’s GPS system which everyone has some access to for mapping, etc but, for military uses, only the US (and us to a certain extent) have full access. Only the EU countries will have full access to Galileo - even with this possible new offer to rejoin they wouldn’t have been giving us full access. Both Galileo and GPS satellites occupy high earth orbits.
Our system, on the other hand, is providing satellite-based broadband to start with, with mapping and military uses added on later. We already have a number of satellites in a low earth orbit with more to be launched in the coming months.
Yes indeed. The EU have been trying to punish us for leaving for all this time, yet now they are trying to invite us back in to their GPS system. I wonder why?
Actually, I’m not wondering at all! I’m absolutely sure that the real reason is that they know that we have some intelligent people whose help they feel they’d benefit from, especially as we are now ploughing ahead with our own system which, incidentally, I believe is thought to become a superior system.
Of course, they are quite good at shooting themselves in the foot, like when they slated us for producing our own Covid vaccines!
Yes, I’m sure.
To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure of the advantages of low- or high-orbit satellites. I do know that one or the other benefits from being geo-stationary, but not sure which!
I would have thought that a ring of geo-stationary satellites might be of greater benefit when it comes to TV reception, which is one of the things that our system was first designed for.
As for navigation, I understand that any one of a set of moving satellites can be used for GPS as I used to use that some years ago.
It costs a damn sight more to launch a lump of metal into a high orbit than it does a low orbit.