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Soyuz November 2, 2015

Two Galileo satellites arrive in French Guiana for Arianespace’s year-ending Soyuz mission

The satellites for Arianespace’s 12th flight in 2015 – which will close out the company’s record year of launch activity – have arrived in French Guiana with delivery of the latest two European Galileo navigation platforms to be lofted by Soyuz.

One of the two containers with Galileo satellites for Arianespace’s upcoming Soyuz mission is unloaded from the cargo jetliner after its touchdown at Cayenne’s Félix Eboué Airport.

One of the two containers with Galileo satellites for Arianespace’s upcoming Soyuz mission is unloaded from the cargo jetliner after its touchdown at Cayenne’s Félix Eboué Airport.

These spacecraft landed at Cayenne’s Félix Eboué Airport aboard a chartered freighter jetliner, and were transferred via road to the Spaceport’s S1 payload preparation facility for checkout.

Scheduled for mid-December, the upcoming medium-lift Soyuz mission with its pair of Galileo satellites will conclude Arianespace’s busiest launch activity year ever involving all three members of its launcher family – which also includes the heavy-lift Ariane 5 and lightweight Vega.

The December Soyuz launch is designated Flight VS13, signifying the medium-lift workhorse’s 13th mission from French Guiana since its service entry at the Spaceport in October 2011. To support the growing Galileo constellation, Soyuz is fitted with a vertical dispenser that accommodates the two navigation satellites deployed on each mission.

The European Commission manages and funds Galileo’s current FOC (Full Operational Capability) phase, with the European Space Agency delegated as the design and procurement agent on the Commission’s behalf.

The European Commission website – Galileo: ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/space/galileo/index_en.htm

The European Space Agency website – Galileo: www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Navigation/The_future_-_Galileo/What_is_Galileo

Soyuz September 11, 2015

Soyuz' launch success with Galileo satellites maintains a record mission pace for Arianespace in 2015

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