UK to develop its own Satellite Navigation system

[Ayahuasca]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-43891933

The UK is a major satellite manufacturer (more satellites are manufactured in Glasgow than any other city in the world..) and a contributor to the European Galileo Sat NAv system - a rival to the US GPS system.

It seems that the EU is now seeking to block the UK from sensitive work on Galileo. The UK is therefore proposing to have its own network of navigation satellites and the EU can suck one. The EU was also planning to use UK international sites around the world to establish its Galileo system, which presumably will no longer be available to them.

Is the UK able to set up a GPS rival or is it writing cheques its ego can't cash?

[Andehh]

Fantastic idea, until someone realise how monumentally expensive that will be.

[frisbee]

Andehh said:

Fantastic idea, until someone realise how monumentally expensive that will be.

When have they ever realised that until they have already spent 15 sheds full of money?

Still at least the British system will be made by Airbus in the UK, so all the money will be going to Europe anyway!

[98elise]

Why would we need our own. My phone satnav works now, and it will continue to work when we leave the EU.

[jamoor]

As the worlds 5th biggest economy, we should have no problem funding something like this.

[davepoth]

98elise said:

Why would we need our own. My phone satnav works now, and it will continue to work when we leave the EU.

GPS is not accurate for some of the things that Galileo will be able to do (train signalling, for example) so if we wanted that sort of capability we'd need our own. The cost of building our own system will likely be cheaper than Galileo has been, and we can either approach other countries to help with the initial costs, or license the higher accuracy signal to other people to spread the cost.

[jmorgan]

Galileo had grand plans for traffic control and speed control etc.

If we are out of that, my heart bleeds.

[DrDeAtH]

Seeing as the UK is a world leader in satellite technology, yes.

[Trolleys Thank You]

Hashtag fkBrexit

[HD Adam]

98elise said:

Why would we need our own.

The Government (any colour) will eventually go over to black box & road pricing.

[grumbledoak]

If we are out of Galileo, that's brilliant news! A herd of fking expensive White Elephants in space looking for a problem to solve...

[Zetec-S]

The UK's not a big place, surely we'd only need 3 or 4 satellites in geosynchronous orbit to do the job?

[98elise]

HD Adam said:

98elise said:

Why would we need our own.

The Government (any colour) will eventually go over to black box & road pricing.

Why does that need a new stanav system?

[mickthemechanic]

Cant we just stick something on the end of a very long pole?

[jmorgan]

98elise said:

HD Adam said:

98elise said:

Why would we need our own.

The Government (any colour) will eventually go over to black box & road pricing.

Why does that need a new stanav system?

Accuracy apparently.

[Trolleys Thank You]

grumbledoak said:

If we are out of Galileo, that's brilliant news! A herd of fking expensive White Elephants in space looking for a problem to solve...

The precision of Galileo lays the ground (sky?) work for automated transport in the future be that road, rail or air. Not great for the ecomony if we're left behind on these sorts of innovations.

[Getragdogleg]

The Galileo system was always about road pricing and live vehicle tracking, imagine being able to issue a fine for speeding anywhere in Europe, rural back roads, motorways, bits of 20mph that used to be 40mph ,outside a school at 3 in the morning and you were doing 33mph, also this will be used to collect tolls as the car drives, timed tolls too, if you drive at peak times you pay more.

Now the UK might not get a slice of that hot action they are looking to put up a "sat-nav" system, yeah right...

Shed loads of cash to set up, warehouse loads of cash back once its up and doing.

[grumbledoak]

Getragdogleg said:

The Galileo system was always about road pricing and live vehicle tracking, ...

The Galileo system was a me-too White Elephant to make the EU appear equal in stature to the US and Russia. With GPS unscrambled, and GLONASS, and the improved accuracy obtained by modern kit using more satellites, Galileo had no raison d'etre for years. The sudden need to track our every move and price roads by the km are post-fact justifications for all the money they have been pissing into space.

[Getragdogleg]

Trolleys Thank You said:

grumbledoak said:

If we are out of Galileo, that's brilliant news! A herd of fking expensive White Elephants in space looking for a problem to solve...

The precision of Galileo lays the ground (sky?) work for automated transport in the future be that road, rail or air. Not great for the ecomony if we're left behind on these sorts of innovations.

Is that what we want though ? to blindly step into yet more control over our freedoms to move around ? And more control always equals more cost.

I don't want automated transport, I like to decide where I go and how fast, what I do where I go is my business and I don't want my travel data harvested and sold, I don't want AI or machines charging me automatically for exceeding an arbitrary number or physically stopping me from exceeding that number, that's my choice to make and no-one else's.

[Zetec-S]

Christ, it's gone a bit tin foil hat on here?

Galileo was intended to reduce reliance by Europe on the US or Russian systems and reduce the risk of being 'cut off'. Not to check on how fast someone is driving on their way to get the Sunday paper...