According to Zhang Guocheng, acting director of the National Remote Sensing Center of China (NRSCC), the seven projects in space, on the ground as well as in applications will be contracted to Chinese companies and organizations by the end of July.

"We have many other countries which expressed interest to take part in the Galileo program, but as far as I can see, none of these potential partners is ready to contribute as much as China does," Rainer Grohe, the executive director of Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU), said in a press release.

China has committed itself in 2003 to a 200-million-euro investment in Galileo, a project with an estimated final cost of 3.5 billion euros.

Beijing will put forward 70 million euros for the initial phase of the project, which aims to create a rival to the United States' global positioning system.

The selection process is currently under way for an operator who will run the system for 20 years. A decision is expected by the end of June.

The Galileo project aims to create a rival to the United States' global positioning system.

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