The new era of Galileo with the upcoming navigation message authentication feature OS-NMA
An important step on the journey to technological excellence of the European GNSS has been marked with the launch of the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OS-NMA) trials. The signal-in-space testing enables the computation of the first-ever positioning fix protected with OS-NMA. The pilot will stretch over several months before transitioning into the “public observation” phase when the new feature will become publicly available. To facilitate the smooth transition and fast adoption, a comprehensive user support documentation package will be released.
The purpose of the Galileo OS-NMA is to serve as an authentication mechanism that provides visibility on the authenticity of the circulated GNSS information. As described by Matthias Petschke, Director of Space at the European Commission, DG DEFIS: “Ensuring the validity of positions elaborated by GNSS is one of the main challenges before addressing an entirely new set of applications demanding dependability and resilience. Galileo is now set on course to deliver on this highly anticipated feature and has many more novel features in store for the coming years”.
As such, the new feature serves as a key and particularly compelling differentiator of Galileo by enabling higher-than-before levels of the service robustness, addressing one of the key concerns of Japanese GNSS service users as highlighted in our article on the success of the Japanese GNSS constellation QZSS. Moreover, the current tests do not interfere with the existing transmission processes due to the use of spare bits from the current navigation messages.
To learn more about this highly promising technological development, read the article Tests of Galileo OSNMA underway from the European GNSS Agency (GSA).
Those interested to deepen their knowledge about the core functional aspects of Galileo could dive into the new Galileo Open Service Signal in Space Interface Control Document (OS SIS ICD v2.0) published by the GSA.
Finally, if you are interested in learning about OS-NMA and its application receiver platforms, read the GNSS.asia news article on TeleOrbit’s GOOSE©, a multi-GNSS FPGA-based GNSS receiver.
