European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service

Last updated
EGNOS
EGNOS logo.svg

Country/ies of origin European Union
Operator(s) EUSPA, ESA
TypeAugmentation
StatusOperational
CoverageEurope, North Africa
Other details
Cost€1,1 billion
Website EGNOS
Map of the EGNOS ground network EGNOS map.svg
Map of the EGNOS ground network

The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) developed by the European Space Agency and EUROCONTROL on behalf of the European Commission. Currently, it supplements the GPS by reporting on the reliability and accuracy of their positioning data and sending out corrections. The system will supplement Galileo in a future version.

Contents

EGNOS consists of 40 Ranging Integrity Monitoring Stations, 2 Mission Control Centres, 6 Navigation Land Earth Stations, the EGNOS Wide Area Network (EWAN), and 3 geostationary satellites. [1] Ground stations determine the accuracy of the satellite navigation systems data and transfer it to the geostationary satellites; users may freely obtain this data from those satellites using an EGNOS-enabled receiver, or over the Internet. One main use of the system is in aviation.

According to specifications, horizontal position accuracy when using EGNOS-provided corrections should be better than seven metres. In practice, the horizontal position accuracy is at the metre level.

Similar service is provided in North America by the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), in Russia by the System for Differential Corrections and Monitoring (SDCM), and in Asia, by Japan's Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS) and India's GPS-aided GEO augmented navigation (GAGAN).

Galileo and EGNOS budget for the 2021–2027 period is €9 billion [2]

History and roadmap

The system started its initial operations in July 2005, with accuracy better than two metres and availability above 99%. As of July 2005, EGNOS has been broadcasting a continuous signal, and at the end of July 2005, the system was again used to track cyclists in the Tour de France road race. [3]

In 2009, the European Commission announced it had signed a contract with the company European Satellite Services Provider to run EGNOS. The official start of operations was announced by the European Commission on 1 October 2009. [4] The system was certified for use in safety of life applications in March 2011. [5] An EGNOS Data Access Service became available in July 2012.

Initial work to extend EGNOS coverage to the Southern Africa region is being done under a project called ESESA - EGNOS Service Extension to South Africa. [6]

The European Commission is defining the roadmap for the evolution of the EGNOS mission. This roadmap should cope with legacy and new missions: [7]

In 2021, following Brexit, the United Kingdom withdrew regulatory approval for EGNOS, and aircraft pilots were no longer permitted to use the system. [8]

Satellites and SISNeT

Service areas of satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) SBAS Service Areas.png
Service areas of satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS)
Inmarsat 3 satellite Inmarsat-3.gif
Inmarsat 3 satellite
Satellite Name & DetailsNMEA / PRNSignalsLocationStatus [9]
Inmarsat 3-F2 (Atlantic Ocean Region-East [10] )NMEA #33 / PRN #120L115.5°Wretired
ARTEMIS [11] NMEA #37 / PRN #124-21.5°Eretired
Inmarsat 4-F2 (Europe Middle East Africa [12] )NMEA #39 / PRN #126-64°Etesting
Inmarsat 3-F1 (Indian Ocean [13] )NMEA #44 / PRN #131-64.5°Eretired
SES-5 (a.k.a. Sirius 5 or Astra 4B) [14] [15] NMEA #49 / PRN #136 [16] L1 & L55.0°Eactive
Astra 5B [14] [15] NMEA #36 / PRN #123 [16] L1 & L531.5°Eactive
Eutelsat 5 West B 5°Wlaunched in October 2019, it will use EGNOS 3

Similar to WAAS, EGNOS is mostly designed for aviation users who enjoy unperturbed reception of direct signals from geostationary satellites up to very high latitudes. The use of EGNOS on the ground, especially in urban areas, is limited due to relatively low elevation of geostationary satellites: about 30° above horizon in central Europe and much less in the North of Europe. To address this problem, ESA released in 2002 SISNeT, [17] [18] an Internet service designed for continuous delivery of EGNOS signals to ground users. The first experimental SISNeT receiver was created by the Finnish Geodetic Institute. [19] The commercial SISNeT receivers have been developed by Septentrio. PRN #136 was placed into the Operational Platform from 23/08/2018 at 10:00 UTC and PRN #120 was placed into Test Platform from 30/08/2018 at 13:00 UTC. [20]

Services

Architecture

EGNOS RIMS "BRN" (Berlin) close to Berlin EGNOS RIMS BRN.jpg
EGNOS RIMS "BRN" (Berlin) close to Berlin

EGNOS is divided into four functional segments:

1. Ground segment: comprises a network of 40 Ranging Integrity Monitoring Stations (RIMS), 2 Mission Control Centres (MCC), 2 Navigation Land Earth Stations (NLES) per Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), and the EGNOS Wide Area Network (EWAN), which provides the communication network for all the components of the ground segment.

2. Support segment: In addition to the above-mentioned stations/centres, the system has other ground support installations involved in system operations planning and performance assessment, namely the Performance Assessment and Checkout Facility (PACF) and the Application Specific Qualification Facility (ASQF) which are operated by the EGNOS Service Provider (ESSP).

3. Space Segment: composed of at least three geostationary satellites broadcasting corrections and integrity information for GPS satellites in the L1 frequency band (1575.42 MHz). This space segment configuration provides a high level of redundancy over the whole service area in the event of a failure in the geostationary satellite link. EGNOS operations are handled in such a way that, at any point in time, at least two GEOs broadcast an operational signal.

4. User Segment: the EGNOS user segment consists of EGNOS receivers that enable their users to accurately compute their positions with integrity. To receive EGNOS signals, the end user must use an EGNOS-compatible receiver. Currently, EGNOS compatible receivers are available for such market segments as agriculture, aviation, maritime, rail, mapping/surveying, road and location based services (LBS). [23] [22]

Aviation

In March 2011, the EGNOS Safety-of-Life Service was deemed acceptable for use in aviation. This allows pilots throughout Europe to use the EGNOS system as a form of positioning during an approach, and allows pilots to land the aircraft in IMC using a GPS approach. [24]

As of September 2018 LPV (Localizer performance with vertical guidance) landing procedures, which are EGNOS-enabled, were available at more than 180 airports across Europe. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Positioning System</span> American satellite-based radio navigation service

The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radio navigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geolocation and time information to a GPS receiver anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. It does not require the user to transmit any data, and operates independently of any telephonic or Internet reception, though these technologies can enhance the usefulness of the GPS positioning information. It provides critical positioning capabilities to military, civil, and commercial users around the world. Although the United States government created, controls and maintains the GPS system, it is freely accessible to anyone with a GPS receiver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galileo (satellite navigation)</span> Global navigation satellite system

Galileo is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that went live in 2016, created by the European Union through the European Space Agency (ESA), operated by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), headquartered in Prague, Czechia, with two ground operations centres in Fucino, Italy, and Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. The €10 billion project is named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GLONASS</span> Russian satellite navigation system

GLONASS is a Russian satellite navigation system operating as part of a radionavigation-satellite service. It provides an alternative to Global Positioning System (GPS) and is the second navigational system in operation with global coverage and of comparable precision.

Global air-traffic management (GATM) is a concept for satellite-based Communication, navigation and surveillance and air traffic management. The Federal Aviation Administration and the International Civil Aviation Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, established GATM standards to keep air travel safe and effective in increasingly crowded worldwide air space. Efforts are being made worldwide to test and implement new technologies that will allow GATM to efficiently support air traffic control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wide Area Augmentation System</span> System that enhances the accuracy of GPS receivers

The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is an air navigation aid developed by the Federal Aviation Administration to augment the Global Positioning System (GPS), with the goal of improving its accuracy, integrity, and availability. Essentially, WAAS is intended to enable aircraft to rely on GPS for all phases of flight, including precision approaches to any airport within its coverage area. It may be further enhanced with the Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) also known by the preferred ICAO term Ground-Based Augmentation System (GBAS) in critical areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satellite navigation</span> Use of satellite signals for geo-spatial positioning

A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geopositioning. A satellite navigation system with global coverage is termed global navigation satellite system (GNSS). As of 2023, four global systems are operational: the United States's Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, and the European Union's Galileo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Differential GPS</span> Enhancement to the Global Positioning System providing improved accuracy

Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPSs) supplement and enhance the positional data available from global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs). A DGPS for GPS can increase accuracy by about a thousandfold, from approximately 15 metres (49 ft) to 1–3 centimetres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real-time kinematic positioning</span> Satellite navigation technique used to enhance the precision of position data

Real-time kinematic positioning (RTK) is the application of surveying to correct for common errors in current satellite navigation (GNSS) systems. It uses measurements of the phase of the signal's carrier wave in addition to the information content of the signal and relies on a single reference station or interpolated virtual station to provide real-time corrections, providing up to centimetre-level accuracy. With reference to GPS in particular, the system is commonly referred to as carrier-phase enhancement, or CPGPS. It has applications in land surveying, hydrographic surveying, and in unmanned aerial vehicle navigation.

GIOVE, or Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element, is the name for two satellites built for the European Space Agency (ESA) to test technology in orbit for the Galileo positioning system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Local-area augmentation system</span> All-weather aircraft landing system

The local-area augmentation system (LAAS) is an all-weather aircraft landing system based on real-time differential correction of the GPS signal. Local reference receivers located around the airport send data to a central location at the airport. This data is used to formulate a correction message, which is then transmitted to users via a VHF Data Link. A receiver on an aircraft uses this information to correct GPS signals, which then provides a standard instrument landing system (ILS)-style display to use while flying a precision approach. The FAA has stopped using the term LAAS and has transitioned to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) terminology of ground-based augmentation system (GBAS). While the FAA has indefinitely delayed plans for federal GBAS acquisition, the system can be purchased by airports and installed as a Non-Federal navigation aid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quasi-Zenith Satellite System</span> Navigation satellites

The Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), also known as Michibiki (みちびき), is a four-satellite regional satellite navigation system and a satellite-based augmentation system developed by the Japanese government to enhance the United States-operated Global Positioning System (GPS) in the Asia-Oceania regions, with a focus on Japan. The goal of QZSS is to provide highly precise and stable positioning services in the Asia-Oceania region, compatible with GPS. Four-satellite QZSS services were available on a trial basis as of 12 January 2018, and officially started on 1 November 2018. A satellite navigation system independent of GPS is planned for 2023 with seven satellites. In May 2023 it was announced that the system would expand to eleven satellites.

Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System is a Japanese satellite based augmentation system (SBAS), i.e. a satellite navigation system which supports differential GPS (DGPS) to supplement the GPS system by reporting on the reliability and accuracy of those signals. MSAS is operated by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB). Tests have been accomplished successfully, MSAS for aviation use was commissioned on 27 September 2007.

The GPS-aided GEO augmented navigation (GAGAN) is an implementation of a regional satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) by the Government of India. It is a system to improve the accuracy of a GNSS receiver by providing reference signals. The Airports Authority of India (AAI)'s efforts towards implementation of operational SBAS can be viewed as the first step towards introduction of modern communication, navigation and surveillance / air traffic management system over the Indian airspace.

Augmentation of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is a method of improving the navigation system's attributes, such as precision, reliability, and availability, through the integration of external information into the calculation process. There are many such systems in place, and they are generally named or described based on how the GNSS sensor receives the external information. Some systems transmit additional information about sources of error, others provide direct measurements of how much the signal was off in the past, while a third group provides additional vehicle information to be integrated in the calculation process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System</span> Satellite navigation system

The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), with an operational name of NavIC, is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system that provides accurate real-time positioning and timing services. It covers India and a region extending 1,500 km (930 mi) around it, with plans for further extension. An extended service area lies between the primary service area and a rectangle area enclosed by the 30th parallel south to the 50th parallel north and the 30th meridian east to the 130th meridian east, 1,500–6,000 km (930–3,730 mi) beyond borders where some of the NavIC satellites are visible but the position is not always computable with assured accuracy. The system currently consists of a constellation of eight satellites, with two additional satellites on ground as stand-by.

OmniSTAR is a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) service provider. OmniSTAR correction signals are proprietary, and a subscription must be bought from the OmniSTAR corporation to receive a subscription authorization. OmniSTAR uses geostationary satellites in eight regions covering most of the landmass of each inhabited continent on Earth:

  1. MSV-E, MSV-C, MSV-W
  2. AMSAT
  3. AORWH
  4. AOREH
  5. EUSAT
  6. IORHN
  7. APSAT
  8. OCSAT

In the field of geodesy, Receiver Independent Exchange Format (RINEX) is a data interchange format for raw satellite navigation system data. This allows the user to post-process the received data to produce a more accurate result — usually with other data unknown to the original receiver, such as better models of the atmospheric conditions at time of measurement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Error analysis for the Global Positioning System</span> Detail of the global positioning system

The error analysis for the Global Positioning System is important for understanding how GPS works, and for knowing what magnitude of error should be expected. The GPS makes corrections for receiver clock errors and other effects but there are still residual errors which are not corrected. GPS receiver position is computed based on data received from the satellites. Errors depend on geometric dilution of precision and the sources listed in the table below.

A software GNSS receiver is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver that has been designed and implemented using software-defined radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Union Agency for the Space Programme</span> Agency of the European Union

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is a space agency, managing the European Union Space Programme as one of the agencies of the European Union (EU). It was initially created as the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Supervisory Authority (GSA) in 2004, reorganised into the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency in 2010, and established in its current form on May 12, 2021. EUSPA is a separate entity from the European Space Agency (ESA), although the two entities work together closely.

References

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  5. "EGNOS navigation system begins serving Europe's aircraft". ESA. 2 March 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  6. "What is ESESA?". ESESA. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
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  11. "Artemis". NSSDCA Master Catalog. NASA.
  12. "Inmarsat 4-F2". NSSDCA Master Catalog. NASA.
  13. "Inmarsat 3-F1". NSSDCA Master Catalog. NASA.
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  15. 1 2 Beyond Frontiers Broadgate Publications (September 2016) pp97
  16. 1 2 "The Almanac" . Retrieved 2015-10-01.
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  18. "SISNeT - related publications". ESA . Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  19. "Navigate via the web with the SISNeT receiver". ESA. 6 September 2002. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  20. "Satellite navigation receiver uses EGNOS signals delivered via Internet". ESA. 25 October 2005. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  21. "ABOUT OS | EGNOS User Support". egnos-user-support.essp-sas.eu. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  22. 1 2 "About EGNOS | EGNOS User Support". egnos-user-support.essp-sas.eu. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
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  25. "Precision EGNOS satnav sparking quiet revolution in aircraft landings". European Space Agency. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2020.