Europe Launches Two Galileo Satellites to Cut Reliance on GPS
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Europe’s Galileo global navigation system launched its first two satellites today as part of a project that may generate 90 billion euros ($124 billion) in economic and social benefits over two decades.
The satellites rode a Russian rocket launched from a space port in Kourou, French Guiana, to an altitude of 23,000 kilometers (14,300 miles), the European Commission said in a statement. While 4.5 billion euros have been allocated to develop and build the system for the period ending in 2013, another 7 billion euros will be needed for the budget cycle through 2020 to finish building the system and keep it operating, said Ingrid Godkin, an official at the commission.