First Galileo signals received

The pioneer spacecraft in Europe's satellite-navigation system, Galileo, has taken a major step towards securing the network's allocated frequencies. Giove-A transmitted the first of its navigational signals to ground stations in the UK and Belgium on Thursday. The UK-built satellite was launched on 28 December from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It is a demonstrator for the network that will give Europe its own version of the US Global Positioning System.

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