Latest Mission updates

Soyuz October 15, 2011

Integration is complete for the initial Soyuz to be launched by Arianespace from French Guiana

The milestone first Soyuz to be operated by Arianespace from the Spaceport has begun its final checkout, following the installation of this medium-lift vehicle’s dual satellite payload on the launch pad yesterday in French Guiana.

Using the vertical final assembly procedure that is unique for Soyuz missions at French Guiana, the launcher’s upper composite – composed of two Galileo navigation satellites, their protective payload fairing and the launcher’s Fregat upper stage – was installed during processing inside a purpose-built mobile service gantry, thereby completing the build-up process.

The upper composite is shown following its integration atop the Soyuz launcher. This photo was taken in the upper levels of the Spaceport’s 52-meter mobile service gantry. Photo: ESA - S. Corvaja, 2011

The upper composite is shown following its integration atop the Soyuz launcher. This photo was taken in the upper levels of the Spaceport’s 52-meter mobile service gantry. Photo: ESA – S. Corvaja, 2011

The upper composite’s nighttime installation capped a busy day of activity on Friday in the Spaceport’s northern sector, where the basic three-stage Soyuz launcher had rolled out of its MIK horizontal integration building during the morning hours, and was raised to the vertical position on the massive concrete launch pad.

This was followed by the positioning of the 52-meter tall mobile gantry on the launch pad, allowing the vertical mating of payloads to Soyuz launchers – a difference from the horizontal integration process used with these Russian-built vehicles at their other two operational bases: Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.

The milestone Soyuz at French Guiana is now ready for final checkout, clearing the way for a morning liftoff on October 20 during a 3-hr. 49-min. flight to deploy its dual Galileo navigation satellite payload into a 23,222 km. orbit, inclined 54.7 degrees.

Produced by EADS Astrium, these In-Orbit Validation (IOV) satellites each have a launch mass of approximately 700 kg.  Along with two other IOV spacecraft to be orbited by Soyuz in 2012, they will form the operational nucleus of the full 30-satellite Galileo navigation constellation, which is being developed in a collaboration of the European Space Agency and European Union.  The Galileo network is to provide highly accurate, guaranteed global positioning services, and was designed to be interoperable with the U.S. Global Positioning System and Russia’s Glonass network.

Arianespace’s introduction of the medium-lift Soyuz at French Guiana will mark the next step in its launcher family expansion, with this vehicle joining the heavy-lift Ariane 5 in side-by-side operations from French Guiana.  The family will be completed in 2012 by the lightweight Vega launcher – the first of which is to be delivered to the Spaceport this month.

keywords:
Soyuz October 14, 2011

Soyuz rolls out for its maiden flight from French Guiana

Read more