GMV opens a replica of the Galileo operations room

In the second half of 2023, GMV’s main NTN headquarters in Madrid saw the unveiling of a replica of the operations room used by the Galileo program, the satellite navigation system that the European Union is developing with key support from GMV.

The new room will make it possible to simulate all satellite operations in an environment equivalent to that of the system's control centers, thus allowing the GMV team to maintain and deploy operational versions of the ground segment, develop services and test new technologies that improve existing services, increase the robustness of the system, improve network security and key management, and reduce system maintenance costs.

GMV is the main contractor for both the first and second generation of Galileo’s ground control segment, having been awarded the respective contracts by the European Space Agency in 2018 and 2023. The new room will be used for both the first-generation Galileo (G1G) ground control segment and the evolution of this segment, currently under development for in-orbit validation (IOV) of second-generation Galileo (G2G) satellites. 

GMV and Galileo

Galileo, the European Union’s civilian satellite navigation and positioning system, has driven GMV’s growth. The company has been actively involved in the development of all the Galileo stages since the beginning of the project 20 years ago.

In 2018, GMV was awarded the contract for the maintenance and evolution of the Ground Control Segment (GCS) for the first generation of Galileo, marking a turning point in the company's history. After three years of hard work, in August 2021 GMV deployed Galileo’s new Ground Control Segment infrastructure (GCS V3.0), which became operational from that moment on, at Galileo's ground control centers in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, and Fucino, Italy. This contract has led to significant growth for GMV both in terms of its turnover and workforce, helping it consolidate its global leadership as a provider of satellite ground control systems and a standard bearer in the field of satellite navigation.

In 2023, GMV was awarded additional contracts, such as the aforementioned contract for the development of the ground control segment of G2G's in-orbit validation (IOV) system, and for the development of the G2 System Test Bed (G2STB), a key system that the European Space Agency is developing to test the proper functioning of the new second-generation Galileo satellite constellation. In addition to these contracts, the contract for the evolution and maintenance of G1G’s ground control segment has been extended to 2026.