Inmarsat, EADS Space and Thales consortium among Galileo concession bidders

DUBAI - The consortium formed jointly by Inmarsat Ventures, EADS Space Services and the Thales Group announced yesterday that it has been chosen as one of only three final bidders for the Galileo Concession.

By A Staff Reporter

Published: Wed 11 Feb 2004, 12:08 PM

Last updated: Mon 12 Aug 2024, 3:24 PM

The Galileo Joint Undertaking made the selection after a full evaluation.

The consortium is pleased to have been selected to progress to the next stage of the concession process in this important project for the long-term future of Europe and is looking forward to working closely with European Governments and other interested parties to ensure that the Galileo dream becomes a reality.

Galileo is a European Union project to develop a new advanced satellite navigation system, superior to existing satellite navigation systems. The consortium submitted a bid on December 5, 2003 to the Galileo Joint Undertaking, who is managing the development phase of Galileo on behalf of the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA). The Galileo Joint Undertaking announced the winning bids yesterday after a full evaluation of all four submitted bids. The winning Concessionaire is expected to take the lead in arranging for financing of the deployment and operational phases of Galileo, and ultimately would become the Galileo Operating Company. The three consortium members, Inmarsat Ventures Ltd, EADS Space Services and the Thales Group are the respective European market leaders in the fields of mobile satellite communications, navigation-based products and services and aerospace. Together they bring an unmatched array of experience and competencies to the Galileo Programme. By joining forces in the consortium they are expressing their combined desire to push forward and develop the opportunity represented by Galileo.