Astrium
technology
connects
Germany
to
Denmark
15
February
2010
Precision
satellite
navigation
is
set
to
be
used
in
the
construction
of a
motorway
and
rail
link
between
Germany
and
Denmark.
AXIO-NET,
a
subsidiary
of
Astrium
Services,
has
won
a
major
contract
to
provide
satellite
positioning
data
for
the
development
of
this
19km
link
between
the
islands
of
Fehmarn,
Germany
and
Lolland,
Denmark
–
the
Fehmarnbelt
Fixed
Link.
AXIO-NET
will
establish
and
operate
a
four
station
GNSS
reference
network
across
the
proposed
construction
site,
which
will
provide
precise
positioning
data
to
engineers
during
the
build.
Construction
of
the
reference
stations
is
already
underway.
AXIO-NET,
a
leader
in
GNSS
augmentation
services,
won
the
contract
after
the
German
and
Danish
Governments
ratified
a
treaty
to
develop
a
fixed
link
between
the
two
countries
in
2009.
The
link
is
expected
to
become
a
vital
passenger
and
freight
connection
between
continental
European
and
Scandinavia.
The
contract
was
awarded
by
Femern
A/S,
a
privately
operated
company,
founded
by
Denmark’s
traffic
ministry
and
owned
by
the
Danish
State.
AXIO-NET
will
develop
the
network
with
ALLSAT,
its
30%
shareholder
and
an
expert
in
GNSS
positioning,
navigation
and
monitoring.
The
construction
of
the
Fehmarnbelt
Fixed
Link
is a
€4.5-5.5bn
project
and
represents
a
huge
engineering
challenge
due
to
the
sheer
scale
of
the
development.
The
link
will
have
to
cross
a 19
km
expanse
of
water,
be
capable
of
carrying
up
to
8,000-10,000
cars
per
day,
whilst
also
accommodating
a
high-speed
rail
link.
The
positioning
data
provided
by
AXIO-NET
will
prove
vital
in
ensuring
that
engineers
can
build
this
vast
project
to
an
accuracy
of
2cm.
The
positioning
network
will
have
to
operate
24 hours
a
day,
seven
days
a
week,
with
the
build
expected
to
take
approximately
seven
years.
The
link
is
scheduled
to
open
in
approximately
2018.
Eric
Béranger,
CEO
Astrium
Services
said:
“The
Fehmarnbelt
Fixed
Link
represents
a
significant
technical
challenge.
Precision
engineering
is
crucial
for
a
project
that
spans
two
countries
with
Axio-Net
playing
a
key
role
from
start
to
finish.”
talk Satellite welcomes comment -
comment@talksatellite.com
