Arianespace's Starsem affiliate successfully launches GIOVE-B for the European Galileo navigation system
April 27, 2008
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The Soyuz launcher's engines are throttled up for liftoff from Baikonur Cosmodrome with the GIOVE-B navigation satellite.
Photo: © ESA - S. Corvaja
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The 21st commercial flight performed by Arianespace's Starsem affiliate orbited the GIOVE-B payload today, reconfirming its Soyuz launcher's capability to deploy a constellation of satellites for the newest space-based navigation network – Europe's Galileo system.
Lifting off on schedule from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome at 4:16 a.m. local time, the Soyuz flew a multi-phase mission that led to GIOVE-B's separation 3 hrs., 45 min. later.
GIOVE-B is the second developmental satellite launched by Starsem for the Galileo navigation system, following an on-target Soyuz flight with GIOVE-A in December 2005. The fully-deployed Galileo constellation will consist of 30 satellites, positioned in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at an altitude of 23,222 km., inclined 56 deg.
Both the medium-lift Soyuz and heavy-lift Ariane 5 vehicles are poised to play a key role in launching the Galileo constellation, operating side-by-side from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana under Arianespace management.
"Today's mission with GIOVE-B is a very important success for Galileo, and it also is a success for Arianespace – which has the two launch systems that are ready to deploy this new navigation system," said Jean-Yves Le Gall, the Chairman & CEO of Arianespace and Starsem.
GIOVE-B was produced by prime contractor EADS Astrium, and weighed 530 kg. at liftoff. The 0.95 x 0.95 x 2.4-meter cube-shaped spacecraft was released in MEO after three burns of the Soyuz' Fregat upper stage.
Galileo is a joint initiative of the European Commission and the European Space Agency, providing a highly accurate, guaranteed global positioning service under civilian control. It will be interoperable with America's Global Position System and the Russian GLONASS network.
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