Posted: Wed, Dec 22, 2004, 6:37 PM ET (2337 GMT)
The European Space Agency awarded an industry consortium a contract Tuesday for an early phase of the Galileo satellite navigation system. The contract with Galileo Industries, valued at €150 million (US$200 million), covers a portion of the In-Orbit Validation (IOV) phase of the Galileo system; the contract is the first stage in the overall IOV phase, valued at €950 million (US$1.26 billion). IOV covers the delivery of the first four operational satellites of the Galileo system, as well as several ground stations. The IOV phase will be followed by the deployment phase, where the remaining 26 satellites and assorted ground stations are built and deployed.

Related Links:

•  BBC article
•  Space News article (subscription required)
•  ESA press release