EGNOS Transafrica
ESA TV Exchanges
21 November 2006
We take it for granted that aircraft criss-cross the continent in safety. But what about air travel in less developed parts of the world? One answer is the European satellite navigation system called EGNOS which will become available for commercial aircraft navigation next year.
EGNOS corrects GPS signals and sends them via satellite to the planes to reach a positioning accuracy of less than two metres. It also guarantees high quality signals ñ something that GPS does not offer.
Since 2002, a network of 10 EGNOS stations has been set up in different African countries. These provide coverage all over Africa. Last year, a ppassenger aircraft travelled 6,400 km in Africa using the EGNOS satellite signals for navigation.
Today's Exchange tells the story of this ""Egnos Transafrica"" experiment which was accompanied and documented by a correspondent and crew.
The script is online as a PDF file under http://television.esa.int/photos/EbS49869.pdf
A WMV preview

EGNOS TransAfrica
ESA pictures (May 2005)
10 00 40: Point des Almadies, Dakar, Senegal
Les Almadies on the Dakar Peninsula is the most westerly point in Africa.
It is from here in Senegal that an unprecedented expedition will set out to cross Africa by air via its longest diagonal, from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, guided by satellite. The flights and landings will use data supplied by satellites rather than by the customary airport facilities.
10 01 02: Dakar International Airport
For ESA and its partners this is an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of EGNOS, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, which corrects and improves the GPS system.
10 01 06: ATR 42, ASECNA test plane
An ATR 42 belonging to ASECNA (the Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar) has been specially equipped to fly and carry out landings receiving EGNOS signals.
10 01 34: Dakar airport, ASECNA facilities, test flight briefing
At Dakar airport itís the final briefing before this long demonst