Ten years ago, Prague became the center of satellite navigation in Europe
On September 6, 2012, Prague became the center of satellite navigation in Europe. On that day, the headquarters of the European Global Navigation Satellite System Agency (GSA) began operating in Prague, completing a six-year effort by the Czech Republic to move the administrative center of the navigation system from Brussels to Prague. The former building of the Czech Consolidation Agency in Prague’s Holešovice became the headquarters of the agency.
Last May, the GSA was transformed into the European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA), which newly brings together, among other things, the management of the operation of the EU space programs, including existing navigation and navigation projects such as Galileo, EGNOS or Copernicus. The Galileo system began providing first test services in December 2016 and went live in full operational mode in 2019, currently serving over 2.4 billion users worldwide.
It is the main EU agency based in the Czech Republic, its expansion should gradually gain several new jobs. According to representatives of the agency, it has transferred over three billion crowns to the Czech budget by 2020. After enlargement, the financial levy should increase. The number of employees would increase from the current 200 to 570, so the state is now looking for new premises for the agency.
The existing headquarters in Janovského Street in Prague’s Holešovice is insufficient. The Prague Municipality and the Ministry of Finance signed an agreement on the future contract in July this year. He should prepare premises for the agency in the still unfinished Nová Palmovka center. for the completion, the estimate of which will be in charge of the municipal organization Prague Development Company (PDS), according to them, they can reach up to billions of crowns, and Prague will be the investor. A tender for the designer and contractor of the first stage of construction, which could begin next year, should be announced this year. It could be completed in 2025.
It is expected that up to a thousand people could work in EUSPA in Prague within ten years.
The Czech Republic has used the agency’s headquarters since 2006. Prague eventually received the support of 22 member countries. “The location of the GSA headquarters is a highly prestigious matter, the European cosmos could now revolve around Prague. We are truly grateful to all our people who negotiated this success,” said the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karel Schwarzenberg.