Since leaving the EU, the UK has ceased to be part of the Galileo satnav system, and with that has lost regulated use of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) safety of life (SOL) services.
But a national team of companies is broadcasting a satellite navigation signal to explore the creation of a sovereign national capability in resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) for aviation and maritime use - UK Space-Based Augmentation System (UKSBAS).
The team is led by UK-based Inmarsat, world leader in global mobile satellite comms, working with British partners Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd from Cornwall and Nottingham-based GMVNSL. They are delivering UK Space Agency-funded tests with the European Space Agency (ESA) through the latter’s Navigation Innovation and Support Program (NAVISP).
The augmentation signal, being broadcast in coordination with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), ESA and the EU Space Programme Agency (EUSPA), is now stable, enabling on-going testing and validation by industry, regulators and users.
The augmentation signal is transmitted from Goonhilly to Inmarsat's I-3 F5 satellite, launched in 1998. It is important to note that this demonstration is for a signal-in-space and provision of regulated services for the UK is beyond the scope of the current project.
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