The PTF project, awarded at the end of 2005 to CTT by ESA Galileo Industries in the frame of the Phase C/D/E1 of the Galileo development and In Orbit Validation, aims at implementing the Precise Timing Facility (PTF), which is one of the key elements of the Galileo Ground Segment.
Its scope is to provide an accurate, stable and precise reference timescale, the Galileo System Time (GST), to the Orbitography and Synchronization Processing functions of the Galileo System. In order to fulfill this objective the PTF is designed with a structure similar to a Timing Laboratory but with the necessary redundancies and control systems in order to be able to work autonomously. The PTF uses commercial available atomic clocks like Hydrogen Masers to guarantee the required short term stability and Caesium Clocks for the medium-long term stability. The PTF also steers the Galileo GST timescale to TAI/UTC to guarantee the UTC dissemination to Galileo Users.

For the purpose of participating to the  PTF development, the Consorzio Torino Time has selected scientific, metrological and industrial members only. The institutional members Fondazione Torino Wireless and Finpiemonte are not involved in the execution of the operative part of the work due to their institutional role.
However, as members of the Consorzio Torino Time, they drive and support the following initiatives:

1. Promotional activities on Galileo Time
2. Organisation of Workshops, fora, Working Groups 
3. Education programs
4. Attraction of talents in the Time area through financing of Fellowship programs.

Consorzio Torino Time, is the Prime Contractor for conducting and implementing an effective process for the PTF Project development. To this purpose Consorzio Torino Time is in charge of the overall Program and Technical Management through its Project Office.
This provides a strong and efficient co-ordination structure representing a unique interface towards the Customer for all organisational and technical matters and then avoiding duplication of interfaces at management and technical level. In addition, taking into account the criticality of the PTF as part of the GMS elements chain, the proposed unique prime-ship ensures a coherent harmonisation among the engineering tasks and a proper control and co-ordination of the related activities.

The Consorzio Torino Time Members “Consorziati” are in charge of the following activities:

• Thales Alenia Space Italia:     System Design Engineering & Integration
• ltec:     Project Control, Data Management, Integrated Logistic Support,
• NRIM:     Galileo System Time (GST) Algorithms Design &Validation,
• Alenia SIA:     SW D&D Integration, Verification and Qualification;
• EPA    PTF Element AI&V and Factory & Segment Level Acceptance, HW DDVQ, Timing S/S Electrical Design, COTS Procurement and Acceptance;
• Politecnico di Torino:     GST Algorithms Matlab Models & Algorithms testing.

The following CTT subcontractors are in charge of:

• TEMEX (Switzerland):    H-Maser Steering algorithm, Clock Anomalies Detection, provision of Timing sub-systems
• OS (Poland):     Time Transfer and GGTO Models and Time Transfer Coding & Implementation.
• 4Science (Switzerland):  provision of  Active Hydrogen Maser Units for the required short term stability.