The European GNSS Agency (GSA) has officially launched the equipment for dual frequency Galileo, GPS and EGNOS project (EDG²E) with a consortium led by Thales.

The four-year project intends to develop a dual-frequency multi-constellation receiver, enabling enhanced navigation capabilities, support standardization and certification preparation, and facilitate the expected increase in air traffic, in Europe and across the globe.

The prototype EDG²E receiver use GPS and Galileo signals as well as those from the European SBAS multi-constellation EGNOS. The project aims to achieve a prototype demonstration by 2021. At the end of the EDG²E project, the first SBAS dual-frequency GPS+Galileo receivers for aviation will be ready for final development and use in the aviation sector and in other safety-critical applications. Fully achieved receivers are foreseen to be installed in commercial aircraft by 2025.

EGNOS, certified for use in aviation since February 2011, is developing its own next-generation, called EGNOS V3, to further enhance performance by complementing the EU Galileo and the U.S. GPS satellite navigation constellations. The consortium includes Thales, Thales Alenia Space and ATR, as well as contributions from Dassault Aviation and the French Civil Aviation Authority.