The European Space Programme was very much in focus at two meetings in Brussels at the start of November. The first, on 5 November, was a meeting of the European Council’s Space Working Party, dealing with space solutions for a sustainable Arctic, while the second, on 6 November, dealt with European space policy – perspectives for business. At both meetings, the invaluable contribution of EGNSS (Galileo and EGNOS) was underscored.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) has issued a Prior Information Notice (PIN) for a planned call for a new service contract to assess the feasibility of an EGNSS-based safety service for the rail sector beyond 2022 which would make it possible to rationalise rail signalling infrastructure.

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) threw open its doors for the 5th year in a row on 8-9 November to welcome visitors to the GSA Open Days 2019. With a wide range of activities targeted at the general public, this year’s event received nearly 2000 visitors from the Czech Republic and across Europe, including families with kids, young adults interested in science and technology, space enthusiasts and young professionals interested in technology and EU affairs.

New technologies that offer safety and efficiency benefits will define the rail system of the future. GNSS is one such technology and is already being used to track rolling-stock, and in passenger information, traffic management and predictive maintenance systems. In his speech at the ERTMS conference #CCRCC2019 “The Engine for the Digital Future,” European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Carlo des Dorides outlined how his Agency is working with the rail sector.

It’s that time of year again. Preparations are already well underway for European Space Week 2019, which this year will take place at the Helsinki Congress Paasitorni in the Finnish capital on December 3-5. The week will be packed full of exciting events ranging from keynotes, discussions and conference sessions, to the E-GNSS User Assembly, a festive awards ceremony and much more.