EUSPA launches the OSNMA Public Observation Test Phase

As anticipated in Service Notice #9, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is excited to announce the opening of the OSNMA Public Observation that will allow the provision of the OSNMA test signal and related products.

The Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) is a freely accessible data authentication function for the Galileo Open Service worldwide. OSNMA provides receivers a first level of protection against falsifying, or spoofing, the Galileo Open Service, assuming that the receiver fulfils a set of requirements. This is realised by transmitting authentication specific data in previously reserved fields of the E1 I/NAV message.

Galileo OSNMA improves confidence on the user side by enabling the user to verify the authenticity of the Galileo navigation parameters required for positioning, navigation and timing. In particular, it will allow the user to authenticate geolocation information of the Open Service:

• The ephemerides and clock corrections
• The ionospheric corrections
• The status flags
• The Broadcast Group Delay
• The GST to UTC parameters

GNSS signal falsification can have a serious impact on applications and market sectors that rely on precise navigation and timing synchronisation such as aviation, maritime or drones. An increasing number of applications employ the positioning and timing provided from GNSS, therefore the risks associated with GNSS threats (such as spoofing) are receiving attention. OSNMA is suitable for a wide range of users. OSNMA contributes to increasing the resilience of civil GNSS signals against such possible threats, to confirm the authenticity of the Galileo navigation data.

EUSPA has published through the Electronic Library on the GSC website the following documents to support the OSNMA Public Observation:

• OSNMA User Interface Control Document (ICD) for the Test Phase
• OSNMA Receiver Guidelines for the Test Phase
• Presentation with the typical OSNMA performances.
• Additionally, an OSNMA Quarterly Performance report will be released during the Public Observation Test Phase.

Interested parties can participate in the OSNMA Public Observation by accessing the OSNMA Public Observation webpage and registering through the web form provided. Interested parties can also select the option to receive email OSNMA Live Test notifications about events affecting the OSNMA SiS provision. The OSNMA crypto material needed to process the OSNMA SiS and verify the authenticity of the Galileo navigation message (Merkle Tree and Public Key) will be available on the GSC products page once the registration is confirmed and upon acceptance of the related conditions.

Due to the nature of the testing activities carried out during this Phase, the OSNMA functionality and performance may be in some cases reduced in comparison to the target final OSNMA service capability. Further information about the current OSNMA status is provided in the OSNMA Public Observation webpage.

Interested parties welcome to participate in these tests include chipset and terminal manufacturers, integrators, service providers and application developers. They have the chance to directly take part in the test campaign and provide their views to the Galileo Programme. The Galileo Programme will consider relevant suggestions for the first service provision phase or future evolutions, depending upon their feasibility.