PARIS — European governments have agreed to move forward with the Galileo global satellite navigation system, ending months of delay and controversy over Europe's biggest infrastructure project.
The $3.6 billion program — Europe's answer to the Global Positioning System put in place by the U.S. military — is to place 30 satellites in orbit by 2008.
The European Space Agency said last week's agreement among its member states clears the way for the creation of an organization to coordinate Galileo. The move is a boost for a space industry hit by a slump in demand for telecommunications satellites and growing international competition.
European governments have been squabbling over Galileo for more than a year. Britain, the Netherlands and Germany had questioned the need for the system, and Germany and Italy had argued over the size of their stakes in the project.
The program is expected to create 140,000 jobs and will be the first joint undertaking of ESA and the European Union.
The satellite system is expected to help control road, rail and maritime traffic and synchronize data transmission between computers, among other services.