101 UK Brexit Notes

Connemara Programme October 16 2018 pg. 94 Business: Space and Satellite Programmes Purpose This notice sets out how the UK’s space programmes would be affected if the UK leaves the EU with no deal, including:  the European satellite navigation programmes, Galileo and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS)  the Copernicus Earth Observation space programme  the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (EUSST) programme The UK’s membership of the European Space Agency (ESA) is not affected by leaving the EU as it is not an EU organisation. Galileo Galileo is the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that is being created by the European Union (EU) through the European Space Agency (ESA). One of the aims of Galileo is to provide EU autonomy in high-precision positioning, navigation and timing. European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service is a satellite-based augmentation system which augments Global Navigation Satellite System signals such that they can be relied upon in safety critical situations. Before March 2019 The UK currently participates in the EU Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) programmes Galileo and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service by virtue of being a member state, and makes financial contributions and provides technical expertise to the programme. EU member states may access all services provided by both systems including the encrypted Galileo Public Regulated Service (PRS) which is expected to be available from the mid-2020s. Companies based in the EU may also bid in open competition for contracts to build, operate and exploit both Galileo and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service. UK companies have been central to the deployment of Galileo and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay, delivering satellite payloads and security systems. The Galileo system has begun to offer initial services worldwide but is not expected to be completed until the mid-2020s. European Geostationary Navigation Overlay is already fully operational and provides services across Europe. In addition, the UK hosts ground infrastructure for both Galileo and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay. Currently users in the UK may access all available Galileo and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay signals and services, however in the unlikely event that the UK leaves the EU with ‘no deal’ in place, the UK will no longer have access to Public Regulated Service. After March 2019 if there’s no deal In the unlikely event of the UK leaving the EU without a negotiated agreement, the majority of position, navigation and timing services provided by Galileo and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay will continue to be freely available to all UK based users. The Public Regulated Service will not be available to the UK; however, this is not expected to be completed until the mid-2020s and will not have immediate impact on users. The UK will no longer play any part in the development of Galileo or European Geostationary Navigation Overlay programmes. This means that UK-based businesses, academics and researchers will be unable to bid for future EU Global Navigation Satellite System contracts and may face difficulty carrying out and completing existing contracts. For example, it may not be possible for businesses or organisations which currently host Galileo and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay ground infrastructure to continue to do so. To prepare for this scenario the UK is exploring alternatives to fulfil its needs for secure and resilient position, navigation and timing information. These contingency options are made possible by the expertise of the UK space sector and will be assessed on their own merits. The government will invest £92 million from the Brexit readiness fund on an 18-month programme to design a UK Global Navigation Satellite System. This will inform the decision to create an independent system as an alternative to Galileo. Implications For the public and most UK, EU and other commercial satellite navigation users, there should be no noticeable impact if the UK were to leave the EU with no agreement in place. All devices that currently use Galileo and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay, such as smartphones, will continue to be able to do so. Actions for businesses and other stakeholders UK-based businesses, academics and researchers will not be eligible to bid for any future work on the EU Global Navigation Satellite System programmes. Any UK businesses, academics and researchers currently contracted or expecting to carry out contracts on these programmes should contact the relevant contracting authority to make sure that arrangements are in place to comply with the conditions of the contract and to avoid possible penalties. Businesses, academics and researchers in the UK and in UK overseas territories which currently hold ground infrastructure hosting contracts may wish to contact their contracting authority such as the European Space Agency or the EU Global Navigation Satellite System Agency to verify the future position. UK businesses and organisations will continue to be able to use the freely available ‘open’ signal to develop products and services for consumers. EU-based businesses, academics and researchers remain eligible to bid for future work on the EU Global Navigation Satellite System programmes.