Septentrio receiver authenticates Galileo OSNMA signals

A Septentrio receiver has successfully authenticated navigation data of the first OSNMA encrypted GNSS satellite signal.

OSNMA (Open Service Navigation Message Authentication) offers end-to-end authentication on a civilian signal, protecting receivers from spoofing attacks.

OSNMA is being pioneered by the Galileo Program, with Septentrio providing a testbed for this technology from the end-user point of view. The anti-spoofing capabilities of OSNMA will complement Septentrio’s already available anti-jamming technology, AIM+, and further strengthen the overall security of Septentrio GNSS receivers.

“The authentication of the Galileo signal using the OSNMA technology is yet another first that we are pleased to share with our close partner ESA [European Space Agency],” commented Bruno Bougard, R&D director at Septentrio. “Septentrio is proud and thankful to be able to contribute to the realization of one of Galileo’s key differentiators. “

With OSNMA, Galileo is the first satellite system to introduce an anti-spoofing service directly on a civil GNSS signal.

OSNMA is a free service on the Galileo E1 frequency. It enables authentication of the navigation data on Galileo and even GPS satellites. Such navigation data carries information about satellite location — if altered, it will result in wrong receiver positioning computation.

While currently in development, OSNMA is planned to become publicly available in the near future. GPS is experimenting with satellite-based anti-spoofing for civil users with its Chimera authentication system.

Within the scope of the FANTASTIC project led by GSA, OSNMA anti-spoofing protection was implemented on a Septentrio receiver.

“Septentrio is committed to providing highly accurate and secure positioning and timing solutions to industrial applications and critical infrastructure. This is another example where Septentrio demonstrates its leadership in end-to-end GNSS receiver security with its breakthrough anti-jamming and anti-spoofing technology,” said François Freulon, head of Product Management at Septentrio. “Thanks to our future proof products, we will be rolling out OSNMA in our portfolio as soon as it is available. This will further enhance the security of our receivers, ensuring robust, trustworthy and reliable operation even in the most challenging environments.”

European Galileo satellites provide an open authentication service on the E1 signal and a commercial authentication service on the E6 signal. (Image: European Space Agency)

ESA and GSA (European GNSS Agency) have now commenced the testing phase of the OSNMA authentication, which will continue during the coming months. To find out more about spoofing and OSNMA, see this article. For more information about GNSS signals and the value they bring, see Septentrio’s free webinar More GNSS signals: What’s in it for you?