Stefan Mileschin

Onboard atomic clocks that drive the satellite navigation signals on Europe’s Galileo network have been failing at an alarming rate.

Half of 18 satellites now in orbit have seen their clocks stop working.

Three are traditional rubidium devices; six are the more precise hydrogen maser instruments that were designed to give Galileo superior performance to the GPS network.

A decision must now be made about whether to suspend the launch of further spacecraft while the problem is investigated.

Prof Jan Woerner, the director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), told a meeting with reporters: “Everybody is raising this question: should we postpone the next launch until we find the root cause, or should we launch?

http://www.techeye.net/news/galileos...e-a-bit-broken