The European Parliament is attempting to rescue Europe's delayed Galileo satellite navigation project from a funding shortfall amidst heavy criticism of the way the project has been managed.

Last week UK MEP Den Dover expressed his "extreme disappointment" to Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot in the way the project has run into delays. Regarding the €2.4bn that has yet to be found in the EU budget after the withdrawal from the project by private companies, Dover said: "Without the private sector we won't get Galileo off the ground."

At the UK's Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), which launched its GIOVE-A Galileo test satellite for €30m, Adam Baker said: "To save a great deal of money, don't provide the heavily encrypted military signal. The other Galileo test satellite is two years late and has cost about €75m so far."

"A lot of space missions are built according to the maxim 'This is what we want'". It is better to ask: 'how much of what we want can be done for this budget," he added.

Note that SSTL is bidding to build more satellites by joining forces with a German firm, reports the BBC. The company believes the Anglo-German link-up will drive down costs by increasing competition among suppliers, according to the report.