Galileo satellite set for lift-off

The clock's ticking on the launch of the first demonstrator spacecraft for Galileo, Europe's global satellite navigation system. On Wednesday, a Soyuz rocket is expected to carry Giove-A into space, according to a BBC News report.

The plan is for 30 satellites to eventually be put into orbit for Galileo, a public-private effort that is expected to run up a tab of billions of dollars. The project, led by the European Space Agency, should give countries on the continent an independent alternative to the U.S. military-run Global Positioning System.