November 11, 2011: During the 1999 NATO bombing campaign to force Serbian troops out of Kosovo, then German chancellor Gerhard Schröder voiced disappointment over America's reluctance to share spy satellite intelligence with its European allies. He admitted, though, that America could do as it pleased since it was supplying over 90 percent of the equipment used for the Kosovo military intervention. In his frustration Schröder suggested that Europe should have its own spy satellites, including a European global positioning system (GPS).

Four years after Schröder aired his frustration, the European Union and the European Space Agency agreed on May 26, 2003 to proceed with the first stage of the European "Galileo" GPS system. October 21, 2011 was the launch date at the Guiana Space Center for the first two of four satellites designed to validate the Galileo positioning concept in space and on the earth. The other two satellites for the test phase will follow in 2012. Once this initial "In-Orbit Validation" (IOV) phase has been completed, additional satellites will be launched to reach positional functionality by about 2015. Eventually a total of 30 Galileo satellites are to be launched for the European GPS (27 operational positioning satellites and 3 operational spares) at a projected cost of some 7.5 billion dollars.

America's GPS occasionally leaves a lot to be desired in terms of accuracy and availability. Sometimes it can be difficult to get a fix and the accuracy can drift out to 30 feet or more. When fully operational, Galileo should offer greater accuracy (down to 3 feet or less) and greater penetration in city centers, inside buildings and under trees. It should also enable a faster fix.

Galileo is not only a scientific and economic project. It also has clear political implications like those voiced by former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder in 1999. Like the Airbus industry and the Ariane rocket program, the new European GPS will improve Europe's independence, providing EU countries guaranteed access to a global positioning service that is currently provided by the United States, a friendly but nevertheless foreign power.

The American GPS was a US military project and the American military is the highest priority user of the system. With Europe and America linked via the NATO alliance, it may seem unlikely today that America's GPS signals would ever be degraded or switched off in Europe. However, it is a fact that the Americans as owners have ultimate control over the system and reserve the right to limit access during crisis periods.

Users will benefit from the agreement between Europe and the USA to make their GPS systems compatible and "interoperable." Future GPS devices will be able to get a fix using satellites from either constellation. However, the European system will be a standalone system capable of operating independently of America's GPS.