Over the next two years, experts from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS with their project partners – Beyond Gravity Austria GmbH, Airbus Defence and Space GmbH and IABG mbH – will design and develop a first Galileo PRS test space receiver prototype ´STACIE´ that meets the stringent requirements of institutional and governmental space applications. “This new receiver for the highly secure service of the European navigation satellites is a precursor to a potential future operational product line that is space-ready and can be deployed quickly. In order to increase Europe's security capabilities, the EU needs secure, encrypted navigation signals for different authorities. With the additional receiver capabilities for the Public Regulated Service, the project is making an important contribution to the further development of Europe's independent satellite navigation system Galileo,” explains Kurt Kober, Vice President Electronic Solutions at Beyond Gravity. With this effort, the project team is laying the technological foundation for future security-critical space missions of EU member states.
Public Regulated Service (PRS) for resilient and secure GNSS-based use cases
The European satellite system Galileo has become a cornerstone of global positioning services. It provides special services, among them PRS (Public Regulated Service), which offers a unique advantage: an encrypted, highly resilient signal for authorized users. In line with the Galileo system roadmap and the deployment of new PRS services, the demand in mission-critical and demanding use cases is growing rapidly, both on the ground and in space.
“We are delighted to have earned ESA’s and the European Commission´s trust in our PRS solutions, which we have been successfully delivering in national PRS projects for more than 15 years. The STACIE PRS Test Space Receiver could now open the door to a new generation of secure satellite-based positioning,” says Dr. Alexander Rügamer, Head of the Satellite Positioning Systems department of Fraunhofer IIS.
Galileo PRS provides secure, encrypted and robust navigation and timing for authorized government users, offering continuous service even during crises or intentional interference. Thanks to its protection against jamming and spoofing, PRS ensures reliable positioning and timing for sensitive applications and helps safeguard critical infrastructure and public-safety operations.
LEO Constellations and PRS: A powerful combination for the future
Modern Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations are increasingly shaping the future of space-based services. They enhance data communication, navigation performance, and ground support for end users while increasing service throughput and quality and by offering higher signal density, lower latency, and improved service quality. When com-bined with PRS-enabled receivers, they could create an exceptionally reliable, secure, and high-performance solution for Europe’s next-generation space applications.
The growing investment within the EU member states in supporting governmental and institutional space missions is a clear message that access to reliable and accurate PNT in space, achieved by deploying PRS-capable receivers on European space assets, is a major step towards technological sovereignty. Deploying PRS-capable receivers on European space assets mark a strategic milestone with lasting impact.
Galileo operated by Europe
The Galileo satellite navigation system is Europe’s global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The Galileo programme is managed and funded by the European Commission under the EU Space programme. Since its inception, ESA leads the design, development and qualification of the space and ground systems. The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) acts as the service provider, bringing the satellites into service and overseeing their operation and the market and application needs.
About the activity
This work will be performed under the Horizon Europe activity reference HE-ESA-030.01 with title PRS Test Space Receiver. The activity is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and the European Commission and/or EUSPA and/or ESA cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS
