Galileo

Europe Presses Ahead with Galileo Probe, Program

Europe’s fifth and sixth satellites on top of their Soyuz launcher at the top of its mobile gantry before their errant August 22, 2014, launch. ESA/CNES/Arianespace

An independent inquiry commission chaired by Peter Dubock, began its work on August 28, 2014, its task: establish the circumstances of the so-called “major anomaly” that resulted in two Galileo satellites being placed into incorrect orbits last week.

The inquiry commission will identify root causes and associated aggravating factors, offering recommendations to correct the problem(s) and to allow for a safe return to flight for Soyuz launchers from the Guiana Space Center.

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Galileo Soyuz Launches May Be Frozen Following Launch Anomaly; Board of Inquiry, Internal EC Task Force to Study Situation

The contract for Arianespace’s three Ariane 5 launches to orbit a total of 12 Galileo FOC (Full Operational Capability) satellites was signed at the French Guiana spaceport by Chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël (seated, at left) and Didier Faivre, ESA Director of the Galileo Program and Navigation-related Activities. Joining them were ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain, and Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director General for Enterprise and Industry, European Commission. ESA/CNES/Arianespace photo by P. Baudon.

[Updated Ausut 26, 2014) Sources in Brussels say that the two Galileo satellites launched on Friday (August 22, 2014) will likely never reach their proper orbits, and the failure will mean new delays for the Galileo program, as Soyuz launches will be frozen until an investigation is performed and causes identified. Meanwhile, the European Commission (EC), European Space Agency (ESA), and launch contractor Arianespace will take part in a board of inquiry into the flawed launch.

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Galileo Teams Investigating ‘Injection Anomaly’ of FOC Satellites

European Space Agency (ESA) and industry officials said today (August 23, 2014) that they are investigating Arianespace’s announcements about anomalies in the orbit injection of the Galileo full operational capability (FOC) satellites launched Friday.

“Complementary observations gathered after separation of the Galileo FOC M1 satellites on Soyuz Flight VS09 have highlighted a discrepancy between targeted and reached orbit,” according to a Friday statement by Arianespace, which leads the industry team handline the launch of the first Galileo FOCs.

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Europe Puts First FOC Satellites into Orbit

After 20 years of discussion, conceptualization, political struggle, and technical reverses, Europe has placed its first two fully operational capability (FOC) Galileo satellites into orbit today (August 22, 2014).

The Galileo 5 and 6 satellites were carried aloft on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana at 12:27 GMT (14:27 CEST, 09:27 a.m. local time). They join the Galileo in-orbit validation (IOV) satellites 1–4, one of which has been offline since May.

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Weather Delays Galileo Launch

Due to unfavorable weather conditions of the Guiana Space Center near Kourou, French Guiana, Arianespace decided to postpone the launch scheduled for today (August 21, 2014) of Soyuz flight VS09 carrying Europe’s fifth and sixth Galileo satellites — and the first of the fully operational capability (FOC) spacecraft.

A tropical disturbance in the Atlantic Ocean nearing the Lesser Antilles (see NOAA satellite image) could potentially developed into a tropical depression or tropical storm.

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