Satellite Navigation

Cospas-Sarsat / SAR Galileo EGNOS Galileo Emergency warning Satellite

Every day, millions of people unknowingly rely on navigation satellites to travel, communicate, or be rescued: Telespazio France contributes to these essential systems that shape our daily lives. Our expertise covers the deployment, operation, and smooth functioning of these space infrastructures, with a shared goal: to guarantee the availability and reliability of these services, which are vital to citizen safety.

Cospas-Sarsat & SAR/Galileo

Telespazio France is at the heart of this vital mission by operating the Search and Rescue (SAR) service for the Galileo constellation. Among other services, the constellation offers this capability on a global scale. Managed by EUSPA through the 'SAR-Galileo' project, it has been provided by CNES since 2016 to complement the Cospas-Sarsat program (distress beacon detection), which has been in place for over forty years.

Telespazio France alongside CNES

Telespazio France has been involved alongside CNES in providing Cospas-Sarsat and SAR-Galileo services since 2018, conducting numerous activities for both programs:

• Ground segment operations coordination (planning, representation to the international community, etc.)
• Operation of ground stations, data processing centers, and the mission control center (definition, preparation, supervision)
• System monitoring and anomaly management
• Logistics, service transition, performance monitoring
• Engineering, preparation of system evolutions, monitoring, and qualifications
• Test definition and system expertise
• Technical management and subsystem monitoring

Telespazio France’s Role in SAR-Galileo Services

Specifically for SAR-Galileo services, Telespazio France carries out the following activities:

• Qualification of new services and operational readiness (Return Link, two-way communication, remote beacon activation)
• Performance evaluation and reporting
• Support to national civil protection authorities of EU Member States for the adoption of SAR-Galileo services
• Support to EU Member States for using the specific platform linking Galileo to national emergency services (ERAS)
• Ensuring proper deployment and enforcement of all cybersecurity rules on systems connected to the Galileo network

This service operates with satellites in Low, Medium, and Geostationary Earth orbits; the Galileo constellation has been part of the program since the beginning of its deployment. As a result, the Search and Rescue (SAR) service is one of several services provided by the Galileo constellation.

Thanks to its global coverage and network, Galileo brings new capabilities to the SAR service, such as:

Two-Way Communication Service

Messages are transmitted to the distress beacon.

Remote Beacon Activation Service

Activation of a specific beacon from a mission control center.

Emergency Warning Service

Messages are transmitted via digital billboards.

In Toulouse, CNES hosts the ground segment infrastructure for its contributions to Cospas-Sarsat and SAR-Galileo, consisting of ground stations (LUTs), the network, the data processing center, the mission control center, and office facilities.

Telespazio France: Spotlight on SAR/Galileo Service Projects

Beyond these core activities, Telespazio France also manages several design projects for the evolution of SAR/Galileo services on behalf of the European Commission, including projects such as :

SERENITY

The SERENITY project, initiated by the European Commission in 2020 and led by Telespazio France, aims at prototyping and demonstrating a planned evolution of the SAR/Galileo service, to be fully integrated into the existing Cospas-Sarsat system: the Two Way Communication Service (TWC), one of the four planned evolutions of the Return Link Service.
GRALLE

The GRALLE project, initiated by the European Commission in 2017, had the objective to define, design and demonstrate an efficient Galileo-based, low latency, reliable and highly standardized Emergency Warning Satellite Service (EWSS) to improve worldwide safety and security.
STELLAR

The STELLAR project, initiated by the European Commission in 2022 and led by Telespazio France, has the objective to prepare the introduction of Emergency Warning Satellite Service (EWSS) in the Galileo 1st Generation (G1G).

EGNOS

Since 2014, Telespazio France has been supporting EGNOS operations through EUSPA contracts (EGNOS operator and Support & Management Services).

GALILEO

Since 2018, Telespazio France has been involved in the development and operations of the Galileo Infrastructure.

Operational Support and Galileo Operations for EUSPA

Since 2022, Telespazio France has been supporting EUSPA in Galileo operations and management services across all European Galileo sites (GSMC, GCC, GSC, GRC, HQ) in specialized areas:

• Integrated Logistics Support / Asset Management / Site Hosting Services Management
• Ground and Space Segment Maintenance
• Security Operations
• Concept of Operations and Services
• Operability, Maintainability, and System Operations Readiness
• Operational Support for Service Transition

Project Management Support for the Galileo Ground Segment with Thales Alenia Space France

Since 2018, Telespazio France has been assisting Thales Alenia Space France in project management for the Galileo Mission Segment (GMS) across various domains:

• System Architecture
• Cybersecurity
• Integration, Validation, and Qualification (IVQ)
• Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety (RAMS)
• Subcontractor Management

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Emergency warning by satellite

Telespazio France supports the development of innovative solutions based on Navigation Satellite Systems.

Galileo EWSS

When disaster strikes, every second counts. The effectiveness of a public warning system is measured not only by the speed of the emitted signal, it is measured by the certainty that it has been received, understood, and relayed down to the very last meter.

Over the years, we have built solid expertise in the sovereign European satellite early warning system.

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Galileo EWSS

GRALLE Project: Proof of Concept and Initial Architecture

Developing the technical foundations of the Galileo satellite early warning service (EWSS), while validating the system's overall feasibility and architecture with the European Commission.

Stellar Project: Demonstrations and Smartphone Testing

Development of the first EWSS-compatible smartphone application and the alert broadcast interface prototype, currently deployed as a test platform at CNES.

Aware Project: Monitoring and Fixed Public Deployment

Refining concepts, global alert monitoring, and deployment across fixed public warning receivers (long-range speakers, digital displays).

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Sunshine Project: Training and Support for Civil Protection Stakeholders

Integrated training program within the UCPKN network, designed for civil protection authorities and disaster risk management experts to optimize emergency response.

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All of these efforts, resources, and achievements enable us to pursue our mission on behalf of European civil protection authorities, dedicated to a noble cause: saving lives.

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More Projects:

Working in close collaboration with EUSPA, the European Commission, national civil protection agencies, and long-standing partners such as EENA, Telespazio France supports the development of innovative solutions for the safety of European citizens:

SERENITY

The HELP 112 project, led by Telespazio France, aimed to define the optimal technical solution for transmitting the GNSS location calculated by a mobile phone to emergency services during a 112 call. AML (Advanced Mobile Location, ETSI TR103393), which enables the automatic transmission of a smartphone's location to emergency services during a 112 call, was selected and deployed in four pilot countries: Austria, Italy, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom.
GRALLE

The WorkingAge project aims to develop the WAOW tool (WorkingAge Of Wellbeing), which seeks to improve health and well-being at work by monitoring workplace conditions using various sensors and delivering recommendations through engaging, user-friendly interfaces. In this context, a WA mobile application installed on the user's smartphone leverages several algorithms responsible for collecting and monitoring data from the different sensors.
SBAS ASECNA

Under the ASECNA SBAS Phase B project initiated in 2019, Telespazio France was involved in specifying ILS/OPS activities concerning maintenance, logistics, and obsolescence management, as well as defining the validation plan based on operational concepts and scenarios. Telespazio France also contributed to demonstrating a public warning service using SBAS satellites.

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