£21m boost for Euro sat-nav system

The Government is to invest another £21 million in a European space mission to build a major new satellite navigation system.

Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling said the boost to the Galileo project was "good news for British jobs, British technology and science".

Firms in the UK are already at the forefront of the £2.4 billion scheme to provide Europe with its own independent system by 2010.

Surrey Satellite Technology built a test satellite which was successfully launched from Kazakhstan late last year.

And Astrium UK and LogicaCMG are major partners in Galileo Industries, the consortium of European companies building the first four test satellites

In-car direction terminals and other tracking technologies rely at present on the US military-based Global Positioning System (GPS).

Galileo will be a civil system, run by a private consortium and offering guaranteed levels of service.

Unveiling the extra cash, Mr Darling said: "The Galileo project has real potential to develop groundbreaking technology leading to more accurate in-car navigation and new systems for the emergency services to locate missing or injured people.

"Already many British companies are leading its development. British expertise is helping to build it, we want British companies and jobs to benefit from it. That is why we are backing it."

The full constellation of Galileo satellites is expected to be in operation by the end of 2010.