The European satellite-navigation project Galileo has officially opened his first ground controlling centre. In the Bavarian Oberpfaffenhofen a controlling centre was furnished in the German centre for aviation and astronautics (DLR).

The ground centres should control together with worldwide 35 ground stations 30 satellites which circle the earth at 23,000-kilometre height. “Galileo comes. In Oberpfaffenhofen this is visible from today for everybody”, according to Federal Minister of Transport Wolfgang Tiefensee on the occasion of the handing over of the controlling centre to the German centre for aviation and astronautics (DLR). With the new controlling centre should originate up to 100 jobs in Germany. Throughout Europe approximately 150,000 jobs should be created by Galileo. The immediate phase of the preparations to the company of the future European satellite navigation system begins for the employees of the new Galileo-controlling centre Galileo“ with the today, said Prof. Johann Dietrich Wörner, chairman of the board of the DLR. Wörner repeated:“ With the company of the Galileo-controlling centre shows the DLR how important the location of Oberpfaffenhofen is and which economic factor the science shows if she moves together with the politics and other partners in a rope.” In Oberpfaffenhofen ist das ab heute für alle sichtbar”, so Bundesverkehrsminister Wolfgang Tiefensee anlässlich der Übergabe des Kontrollzentrums an das Deutsche Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR). Mit dem neuen Kontrollzentrum sollen bis zu 100 Arbeitsplätze in Deutschland entstehen. Europaweit sollen durch Galileo circa 150.000 Arbeitsplätze geschaffen werden. Mit dem heutigen Tag beginnt für die Mitarbeiter des neuen Galileo-Kontrollzentrums die unmittelbare Phase der Vorbereitungen zum Betrieb des zukünftigen europäischen Satellitennavigationssystems Galileo“, sagte Prof. Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Vorstandsvorsitzender des DLR. Wörner sagte weiter: “Mit dem Betrieb des Galileo-Kontrollzentrums zeigt das DLR, wie wichtig der Standort Oberpfaffenhofen ist und welchen Wirtschaftsfaktor die Wissenschaft darstellt, wenn sie gemeinsam mit der Politik und anderen Partnern an einem Strang zieht.”

“Schultes of Frank Architekten” from Berlin handed a symbolic key to the DLR in a ceremonious ceremony. The meaning of the Galileo project for Europe, Germany and Bavaria was emphasised by the presence of the EU commissioner for traffic, Antonio Tajani, the Prime Minister of the free state Bavaria, Günther Beckstein, as well as the Bavarian Minister of State Emilia Müller and Matthias von Randow, Assistant Secretary in the Federal Ministry of traffic, construction and urban development.

The world market for satellite-supported products and services reached in 2005 a volume from 60 milliard euros and should grow till 2025 on 400 milliard euros, estimates the European commission.
via golem