Moscow, Dec. 28 (Reuters): The European Union launched its first Galileo navigation satellite today, moving to challenge the US’s Global Positioning System (GPS).

Russia’s space agency Roskosmos said the 600-kg spacecraft went into its designated orbit 23,000 km from the earth after its launch on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

“From now on, directing the spacecraft is down to the client that made the order ? that is, the European Space Agency,” a Roskosmos spokesman said.

The 3.6 billion-euro ($4.27-billion) Galileo programme, due to go into service in 2008 and eventually deploy 30 satellites, may end Europe’s reliance on the GPS and offer a commercial alternative to the GPS system run by the US military.

The GPS is currently the only worldwide system offering services ranging from driver assistance to search-and-rescue help. Critics say its services for civilians offer less precision than those for military or intelligence purposes.

EU officials say Galileo, organised as a public-private partnership, will offer more exact positioning. They privately add Galileo would never be switched off for strategic reasons, which might be the case with the GPS.