Signing of Galileo Contracts for operations until 2016

The European Commission has awarded a fourth contract, out of a total of six, for the procurement of the full operational capability (FOC) for Galileo, Europe’s global navigation satellite program. The contract has been awarded to Spaceopal GmbH — a joint venture created by DLR GfR (Germany) and Telespazio S.p.A (Italy) — for the operations of the space and ground infrastructure. This will lead to the initial deployment and service provision of Galileo in 2014 and to the full deployment of the system in 2016. The contract, valued at 194 million Euros, was signed by the European Space Agency on behalf of the European Commission through a delegation agreement. The contract awarded to Spaceopal GmbH covers the industrial services needed to support the European Space Agency in the operations of the satellites and the ground infrastructure. Spaceopal GmbH is a joint venture created by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR GfR) and Telespazio S.p.A. of Italy. Other members of the Spaceopal team come from various member states across Europe and include T-Systems, SES, EADS Astrium Services and Vitrociset. Subcontracts with all partners were signed on 12th November 2010 in the Bavarian Ministry for Economy. National and international press reported widely about the signature events. The procurement for Galileo’s full operational capability is a competitive dialogue and divided into six contracts. In January 2010, three contracts were awarded to ensure system engineering support, satellites and launchers. The two remaining procurement contracts, for the completion of the ground mission infrastructure and the ground control infrastructure, will be awarded in early 2011. BHO Legal advised Spaceopal GmbH during the procurement procedure and negotiations with the European Commission and ESA, as well as for the negotiations of all subcontracts.