Tuesday, February 15 2005 18:03 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: India will ink an agreement with the European Union's satellite radio navigation programme, Galileo, launched by the grouping jointly with the European Space Agency.

ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) chief G Madhavan Nair will hold talks with European Union leaders in Brussels to finalise the agreement confirming India's participation in the Galileo programme, which would complement the Global Positioning System of the United States.

With the signature on the agreement on Galileo, India will become the third country to join the programme launched by the EU, according to an INEP report from Brussels.

A decision on India joining the satellite project was taken during the India-EU summit at The Hague last year.

China and Israel have already concluded similar agreements with the EU, while talks are continiuing with a number of other countries, including Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Canada.

The agreement is expected to boost industrial cooperation between India and EU in satellite navigation and timing in a wide range of sectors, including manufacturing, service and market development, it said.

Galileo is based on a constellation of 30 satellites and ground stations providing information concerning the positioning of users in many sectors such as transport, social services, the justice system and customs services, public works, search and rescue systems, or leisure.

Currently, only the US and Russia have mastered the global positioning technology under programmes financed and controlled by their military authorities, the report said.