European satellite navigation system Galileo takes on GPS after delays

A European satellite navigation system which promises to outperform US and Russian rivals has gone live after years of delays. Galileo, which launched on Thursday, has 18 satellites in place so far and will initially be boosted by satellites from the American GPS system. The EU Commission and European Space Agency, which created the system, said Galileo should be fully operational by 2020, and will provide positioning data of unprecedented accuracy.