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The first stage of the Galileo program was agreed upon officially on May 26, 2003 by the European Union and the European Space Agency. The system is intended primarily for civilian use, unlike the US system, which is run by and primarily for the US military. The US reserves the right to limit the signal strength or accuracy of the GPS systems, or to shut down GPS completely, so that non-military users cannot use it in time of conflict. The precision of the signal available to non-military users was limited before 2000 (a process known as selective availability). The European system will not (in theory) be subject to shutdown for military purposes, will provide a significant improvement to the signal available from GPS, and will, upon completion, be available at its full precision to all users, both civil and military.
The European Commission had some difficulty trying to secure funding for the next stage of the Galileo project. European states were wary of investing the necessary funds at a time of economic difficulty, when national budgets were being threatened across Europe. Some states, such as France, strongly supported Galileo because it would demonstrate an end to reliance on United States technologies. Other states felt that it would be better to continue getting the service for free from the US, rather than paying for it themselves. Following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack, The United States wrote to the European Union opposing the project, arguing that it would end the ability of the US to shut down GPS in times of military operations. On January 17, 2002 a spokesman for the project sombrely stated that "Galileo is almost dead" as a result of US pressure.
A few months later, however, the situation changed dramatically. Partially in reaction to the pressure exerted by the US, European Union member states decided it was important to have their own independent satellite-based positioning and timing infrastructure. All European Union member states became strongly in favour of the Galileo system in late 2002 and, as a result, the project actually became over-funded, which posed a completely new set of problems for the companies involved.
The European Union and European Space Agency then agreed in March 2002 to fund the project, pending a review in 2003 (which was finalized on May 26, 2003). The starting cost for the period ending in 2005 is estimated at EUR 1.1 billion. The required satellites - the planned number is 30 - will be launched throughout the period 20062006 is a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). It has been designated: The International Year of Deserts and Desertification Predicted events January 9 Planned launch date of New Horizons February 28 Mardi Gras February 9 Independence r- 20082008 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). 2008 Years in the future Articulo futuro Predicted events January NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft makes the first of three flybys of Mercury. February 1 Sweden plans to cease analog television b and the system will be up and running and under civilian control from 2008. The final cost is estimated at EUR 3 bn, including the infrastructure on Earth, which is to be constructed in the years 2006 and 20072007 is a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). Predicted Events January 1 Target date for the admission of Romania and Bulgaria to the European Union. March 1 USS Baltimore to be deactivated. March 19 Partial solar eclipse June NASA's M. At least two thirds of the cost is will be invested by private companies and investors, the remaining costs are divided between the European Space Agency and the European Union. An encrypted higher bandwidth Commercial Service with improved accuracy will be available at an extra cost, while the base Open Service will be freely available to anyone with GPS.