BRUSSELS (AP) - The launch of the first two satellites of the European Union’s Galileo navigation system has been postponed because of technical problems at the base in French Guyana.
Thursday’s launch on the Russian Soyuz rocket was delayed by 24 hours, putting a dampener on a day of celebrations at EU headquarters to mark the occasion.
EU spokesman Carlo Corazza said the problems were unrelated to weather conditions and he was still awaiting further explanation of the difficulties involved.
The European Galileo system is being launched to challenge the American GPS system which has become the consumer standard in satellite navigation over the past decade.
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