A Security Centre is to be established by the EUROPEAN Union's (EU) Council of Ministers Secretariat in Brussels to guarantee that the EU's forthcoming satellite global positioning service – entitled Galileo – isn't abused by hackers or terrorist groups.
Galileo is based upon a constellation of 30 satellites and ground stations that can be used to track any moving or stationary object.

In practice, the Centre's managers would report to a special Galileo supervisory authority, although EU Member States are currently devising rules on how to react if "the functioning and manner of the system's operation threatens the internal and external security of the EU and its Member States."

While Galileo is being developed from 2004-2008, a security Board will monitor progress at all times and ensure that the correct safeguards are built-in.

The French Starsem and Arianespace organisations have now agreed a contract with the European Space Agency to build and launch two experimental Galileo satellites via the Soyuz launch vehicles in Kazakhstan by 2006. They would then offer the first operational service of the system.

Source

SMT