The EGNOS payload aboard the Eutelsat 5 West B satellite has entered service, according to Eutelsat Communications. The satellite carries a payload for the European GNSS Agency (GSA) called GEO-3. GEO-3 is designed to be aboard a geostationary satellite to augment GNSS signals.

A solar-array problem affected the satellite shortly after its Oct. 9 launch.

Eutelsat 5 West B is hosting the EGNOS payload under a 15-year agreement signed in 2017 with the European GNSS Agency (GSA). The contract also includes technical services and a European ground infrastructure, including two gateways installed at Eutelsat’s Rambouillet and Cagliari teleports.

Image: GSA

“Eutelsat is proud of the collaboration with its customer GSA, its partners including the European Space Agency, and its suppliers, culminating in the entry into service of this next generation technology of EGNOS on Eutelsat 5 West B,” said Yohann Leroy, Eutelsat’s Deputy CEO and Chief Technical Officer. “We are delighted to host this payload, which will significantly enhance the performance of global navigation satellite systems across Europe, notably Galileo, in the coming years.”

“With this new payload in service, EGNOS is moving towards the transition to its new generation,” said Pascal Claudel, GSA acting executive director and CEO. “This has been done thanks to the constructive collaboration with Eutelsat. Delivery and continuity of satellite services are part of our mission as delegated by the European Commission. It is essential that we, at the GSA, ensure these services to support economic growth and that the European Union’s citizens and companies can benefit from the latest GNSS technology.”