The 50th Anniversary of GPS: New Avenues for Cooperating with Europe's Galileo

Executive Summary

This paper delves into the evolution and future prospects of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), with a particular focus on the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS) and Europe's Galileo. As GPS celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is a timely moment to assess its historical trajectory, current status, and future directions, especially considering the emergence of new competitors like China's BeiDou. Based on interviews with two GNSS experts from the European Commission, this study aims to analyze the potential for cooperation between GPS and Galileo, exploring avenues for collaboration and mutual learning.

50 Years of GNSS

Since its inception in 1973, GPS has evolved from a military tool to a ubiquitous global utility, facilitating a wide array of civilian and commercial applications. Despite facing challenges such as signal interference and system vulnerabilities, GPS has remained a silent yet essential infrastructure, generating significant economic benefits. The development of other GNSS systems like GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou has further expanded the GNSS landscape, adding new dimensions to great power competition.

Galileo, a Natural Partner for GPS

Galileo, Europe's GNSS constellation, offers an interesting contrast to GPS, emphasizing civilian governance and commercial applications. Unlike GPS, which originated from military interests, Galileo was designed as a civil infrastructure, reflecting the European Union's commitment to technological independence. Its governance model and emphasis on commercial and political objectives present valuable insights for GPS, highlighting potential synergies and avenues for enhanced cooperation between the United States and Europe.

Avenues for Future Cooperation

As the global GNSS landscape evolves, there are several avenues for strengthening cooperation between GPS and Galileo. Renewing the US-EU agreement on satellite-based navigation systems in 2026 provides a crucial opportunity to deepen collaboration and address technical and policy challenges. Opening the E6 frequency to Galileo in the US and increasing dialogue in international forums can further enhance interoperability and mutual benefits. Additionally, exploring new technologies and conducting joint projects, such as lunar PNT experiments, can pave the way for future innovations and partnerships.

In conclusion, the 50th anniversary of GPS can serve as a catalyst for reassessing the future of GNSS and strengthening collaboration between GPS and Galileo. By learning from each other's governance models, leveraging complementary strengths, and exploring new avenues for cooperation, the US and Europe can enhance the resilience, effectiveness, and societal benefits of GNSS technology, for themselves and the world. As the Artemis Program progresses to bring Mankind back to the moon, GNSS cooperation is as important as ever for advancing global positioning, navigation timing services for the next 50 years to come.

Recommendations

Both Europe and the United States stand to learn from each other’s GNSS systems and gain from reinforced cooperation. Europe could notably benefit from the GPS’s experience in military governance, while the United States could look at Galileo’s civil governance as a model to sharpen and improve the agility of its decision-making authorities. 

• Renew the US-EU satellite-based navigation systems agreement in 2026 and use the 50th Anniversary of GPS as a catalyst to begin this increased cooperation agreement between GPS and Galileo in 2026. 
• Include the opening of the E6 frequency to Galileo by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as part of the 2026 negotiations. This would allow American companies to access Galileo’s High Accuracy Service (HAS).
• Increase GNSS dialogue in international forums, such as at the UNOOSA ICG, in particular with European partners and Artemis Accords signatories
• Centralize the civil governance of GPS within the US federal government to mitigate redundancies and improve agility in decision-making
• Raise awareness of the multiple benefits of GNSS, GPS in particular, to the United States, and the world to ensure its further development. 
• Build and federate a community of commercial actors with novel uses of PNT data and showcase their most innovative applications 
• Pursue developments of PNT beyond MEO, conduct further lunar PNT experiments and projects together with international partners, such as LuGRE with the Italian space agency or Lunar Pathfinder with ESA. This can pave the way for developing the technology and sparking renewed public enthusiasm around PNT infrastructure, even fifty years after the creation of GPS.
• Explore the potential of new technologies, such as magnetic navigation, muometric navigation, miniaturized atomic clocks, accelerometers, and 5G for complementary PNT data services