PPRuNe Forums - UK plan to launch rival to EU sat-nav system.

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- - UK plan to launch rival to EU sat-nav system. (https://www.pprune.org/space-flight-operations/608514-uk-plan-launch-rival-eu-sat-nav-system.html)

Inevitable. Just another bucket of cash chucked down the Boris/Cummings gutter

As I said two years ago

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The whole idea of a new UK GNSS is preposterous.

It's yet another example of politicians dreaming something up without consulting anyone who actually understands the reality.

POLITICO Europe: EUROPE’S NEXT BIG SPACE ENDEAVOUR

2021 is the year Europe needs to show it’s serious about building — and defending — its position behind the U.S. as the world’s second space power, the CEO of ArianeGroup, André-Hubert Roussel, told Playbook in an interview.

His company runs the development of the Ariane series of rockets, up there with TGV trains as a prized French engineering success.

He says priority No. 1 for the European Commission on space should be kicking on with developing a secure satellite communications network that will offer Europe a reliable network for digital services.

Such a program — which already has the backing of Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton and a €7 million study ongoing into how to make it work — would be Europe’s third big space services initiative after Copernicus, an Earth monitoring satellite system, and Galileo, a nascent GPS alternative.....

Next week, ministers, commissioners and industry folk will convene for the European Space Conference, the bloc’s annual talking shop for all things orbital, to discuss the plan.

“We need an ambition in Europe to have more programs and projects to launch,” Roussel said. Getting straight onto a communications network program would mean a steady stream of new launches......

Now it seems any country wants to be part of the space community. On the previous page, I saw doubts about whether we need satellites or not. At a time when countries are increasingly restricting travel, as well as cooperation on various programs. I think we still need our own satellites, rockets, etc. The thread began with how Britain could replace certain programs. It is now pretty clear that the government is backing the British space business. There are quite a few agreements with ESA on satellite launches. Of course, these programs are not very large-scale yet. But there is a plan for what to do.

How many geo-stationary orbital slots are left unoccupied that could allow pan European coverage?

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...the aim is replace/supplement existing GPS, where the existing satellites and signal are increasingly vulnerable to jamming...

As is apparent in the Eastern Mediterranean at the moment with GPS jamming disabling the ADS-B system. A certain State actor preventing its use for targeting.

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How many geo-stationary orbital slots are left unoccupied that could allow pan European coverage?

All current satellite communication systems are based and planned on LEO/MEO constellations to maximise coverage above 60 degrees N/S, increase bandwidth, allow NRT data and voice transmission and also provide redundancy. Spacex, for example, has submitted requests for constellations adding up to around 40,000 satellites in total - and they are one of several such companies.

Already 57,000 applications for launch until 2029 have been confirmed. Now work has begun on the creation of 6g networks. These networks also require their satellites. Therefore, there will be a need for additional launches starting from 2029-2030. That is, there will be more and more new companies that specialize only in this. We gradually come to something like the Dyson sphere. The truth it would be much less effective.