GMV leads a satellite navigation project in collaboration with the South African National Space Agency

Since the start of the year GMV has been collaborating with the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) to increase the technological navigation capacity in South Africa. GMV is leading the SBAS Awareness and Training for South Africa (SATSA) project before the roll out of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). SATSA is part of the European Commission’s 7th Framework Program (FP7) and set to run for 18 months.

SATSA offers four satellite navigation training courses, from basic to advanced level, and also introduces three trials to evaluate applications using testing platforms that produce realistic navigation signals apt for use by civil aviation.

The first training session covering the basic aspects of satellite navigation was held from the 7th to the 10th of May in the SANSA Space Operations Minitrack training facility at Hartebeeshoek. The course was given by Dr. Alberto Madrazo Fernández and Dr. José Caro Ramón, from GMV. The next training session will be held in July 2012.

The testing period scheduled for February through April 2013 will focus on vehicle logistics, agriculture and GIS ground truthing. GMV will use this period to ensure that SANSA has a team of engineers trained to carry out its strategic navigation plan.

The SANSA Space Operations Directorate, based in Hartebeeshoek, is the main sponsor of state-of-the-art projects in the field of services and facilities for SANSA’s ground stations.

GMV played a key role in the SATSA kick-off meeting and also in the first training session, which was delivered by GMV navigation experts. The Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) also joined in the kick-off meeting to study the aeronautical community’s training needs, which will then be the subject of the third training course on aviation.

In the words of Miguel Romay, GMV’s Executive Director of GNSS Aerospace, “GMV’s track record in the field of satellite navigation is why the European Commission and the South African National Space Agency has entrusted us with this project that will establish the bases for EGNOS deployment in South Africa. GMV’s knowledge in this field and the experience of its teams of professionals, now over 150 strong in GNSS, have positioned the company as key both in the development of navigation systems as well as GNSS applications, making GMV a pioneer in the use of GPS, GLONASS and EGNOS signals”.

"This project has been funded with the support of the European Commission. The opinions expressed are purely those of the author and may not in any circumstances be regarded as stating an official position of the European Commission”