Galileo’s ground segment has gained a new asset, the Telemetry, Tracking and Control (TT&C) facility — a 13.5-m parabola dish mounted on top of a 10-m high building structure of made of steel and concrete. It is based within Europe’s launch site in Kourou, French Guiana, beside TTCF-2.
The TT&C antennas are uncrewed and operate on a fully automated basis from the two Galileo control centers located in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, and Fucino, Italy. The TT&C antennas are crucial to regular communication with the Galileo satellites.
This latest antenna will play an important role during the upcoming modernization activities of the earlier TT&C antennas in the station network, which have been in service for several years. TTCF-7 will take over their tasks during the maintenance activities when they need to be taken offline.
Russia’s space agency Roscosmos is suspending cooperation with Europe on space launches from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, including future Galileo satellite launches.
As reported by Rueters, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said Saturday the action is in response to Western sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“In response to EU sanctions against our companies, Roscosmos is suspending cooperation with European partners on space launches from Kourou, and is withdrawing its technical staff…from French Guiana,” Rogozin said in a post on his Telegram channel.
Russia’s decision will have “no consequences on the continuity and quality of Galileo and Copernicus services,” EU Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a statement. “This decision does not call into question the continuity of the development of these infrastructures either.”
“We are also ready to act with determination, together with the Member States, to protect these critical infrastructures in the event of an attack.”
“We will, in due course, take all the necessary decisions in response and resolutely pursue the development of the second generation of these two sovereign space infrastructures of the Union,” Breton said. “We are also prepared to act determinedly together with the member states to protect these critical infrastructures in case of an attack, and to continue the development of Ariane 6 and VegaC to guarantee the strategic autonomy with regard to carrier rockets.”
The Galileo program had already planned to shift to using Ariane 6 rockets for satellite launches. The launcher is undergoing the final stages of development, led by prime contractor ArianeGroup.
From 2023 onward, the remaining Galileo Batch 3 satellites will be launched with the new Ariane 62 launch vehicle, a variant of Ariane 6 with two strap-on solid boosters.
The most recent Galileo satellite launch took place on Dec. 5, 2021, using Soyuz launcher VS-26 to carry the first pair of Galileo Batch 3 satellites into orbit. The announcement will delay a Soyuz launch of two more Galileo satellites scheduled for April from French Guiana; a third pair of Galileo satellites was scheduled to launch in autumn on another Soyuz.
Galileo launch 11 from Europe’s spaceport in French Guyana. (Photo: ESA/CNES/Arianespace)
The Launch Readiness Review on Nov. 26 confirmed that the satellites, the supporting ground installations, and the early operations facilities and teams are ready for lift-off on the early hours of Thursday morning, central European time.
UPDATE: Arianespace has postponed today’s launch and is now targeting launch on Friday (Dec. 3). Liftoff is set for Dec. 3 at 7:23 p.m. EST (0023 GMT).
Galileo satellites 27 and 28 are scheduled to be launched by a Soyuz launcher from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on Dec. 2 at 01:31 CET (Dec. 1 at 21:31:27 local Kourou time).
These satellites are the first of Batch 3, comprising 12 additional first-generation Galileo satellites commissioned in 2017 to bring the constellation to full operational capability. They will be used to further expand the constellation up to 38 satellites and act as backups and spares for satellites that reach their end-of-life.
Follow the launch live on ESA Web TV Two starting at 0104 CET.
“Friday’s Launch Readiness Review confirmed that the first two satellites in this final batch of 12 Galileo first-generation satellites, are good to go, provided no external circumstances come up between now and the night of 1-2 December,” said Bastiaan Willemse, ESA’s Galileo Satellite manager, from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. “Meanwhile the preparation for the launch campaign of the next two satellites has already started.”
The Launch Readiness Review is an ESA-led review with participation of the satellite manufacturer OHB, the launch service provider Arianespace, the Galileo operator SpaceOpal, the EU Space Programme Agency (EUSPA) and the European Commission, as well as the programme’s Security Accreditation Board.
Friday’s review was the last before the Arianespace-led RAL (Revue d’Aptitude de Lancement) takes place next week when the latest status of the launcher, the launch facilities and site, the global launch tracking facilities, the satellites and supporting ground infrastructure will be reviewed, most likely resulting in approval for launch countdown.
The satellites arrived in French Guiana in early October, kicking off a busy launch campaign, including initial dispenser fit checks and the filling with the hydrazine fuel that will be used to maneuver them during their 12 years of working life.
Galileos 27-28 seen atop their gold-wrapped Fregat upper stage within their Soyuz launcher fairing. (Photo: ESA)
The two satellites will add to the 26 satellites of the Galileo constellation already in orbit and delivering Initial Services around the globe.
This week’s lift-off will be the 11th Galileo launch in 10 years. Two further launches are planned for next year, to allow Galileo to reach Full Operational Capability in its delivery of services, to be followed by the launches of the rest of the Batch 3 satellites — all undergoing final integration at OHB facilities in Bremen and on-ground verification testing at ESA’s ESTEC Test Centre in the Netherlands.
In parallel to Batch 3’s completion of Galileo First Generation deployment, the new Galileo Second Generation satellites, featuring enhanced navigation signals and capabilities, are already in development with their deployment expected to begin by 2024.
The combined upper composite for the Galileo launch being transported to the other three stages of the Soyuz at the launch site. (Photo: ESA)Galileos 27 and 28 are secured to the dispenser that holds them in place during launch. (Photo: ESA)The two Galileo satellites attached to the dispenser on which they will ride to orbit. (Photo: ESA)
The EDRS-C satellite, the second node of the SpaceDataHighway network — also known as the European Data Relay System (EDRS) — has successfully launched into geostationary orbit at 31 degrees East by an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. According to Airbus, after a test period, it will double transmission capacity of the system in order to serve two observation satellites simultaneously and provide redundant back-up for the SpaceDataHighway.
This second satellite is joining EDRS-A, which transmits the images of Earth acquired by the Copernicus program’s four Sentinel observation satellites on a daily basis.
According to Airbus, the SpaceDataHighway is the world’s first “optical fiber” network in the sky based on cutting-edge laser technology. A public-private partnership between the European Space Agency and Airbus, it is a network of geostationary satellites permanently fixed over a network of ground stations that can transmit data at a rate of 1.8 Gbit/s.
SpaceDataHighway satellites can connect to low-orbiting observation satellites at a distance up to 45000 km, intelligence UAVs or mission aircraft via laser, Airbus added. From its position in geostationary orbit, the SpaceDataHighway system relays data collected by observation satellites to Earth in near-real-time.
“The SpaceDataHighway makes our data connections more secure, more stable, more reliable, with more bandwidth and in near real time,” said Evert Dudok, head of communications, intelligence and security at Airbus Defence and Space. “The launch of our second satellite is just the start, laser communication will be a revolution for many industries.”
Full operations, including EDRS-C, are expected by the end of 2019, when its inter-satellite link and end-to-end service will be tested and commissioned with the Sentinel satellites. A third communication node is to be positioned over the Asia-Pacific region by around 2024.
In addition, from 2021, the Pleiades Neo Earth observation satellites will begin to use the SpaceDataHighway, and by the end of 2019, the system will also provide a fully European broadband communication service to the Columbus module of the International Space Station, Airbus said.
The European Space Agency launched the next four Galileo satellites on an Ariane 5 on Wednesday July 25, at 11:25 GMT (13:25 CEST, 08:25 local time) from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
These latest four Galileo satellites will bring the constellation in orbit up to 26 satellites.
Livestream coverage of the launch starts at 11:00 GMT (13:00 CEST) with liftoff at 11:25 GMT (13:25 CEST).
Live coverage resumes with confirmation of the satellites separating from their upper stage from 14:50 GMT (16:50 CEST).
Separation of the Ariane 5’s upper stage occurs about nine minutes after liftoff, followed by the first 10-minute firing of the upper stage.
The upper stage — carrying four 715-kg Galileo satellites — flies in ballistic configuration for three hours and eight minutes, after which a second upper stage firing lasting just over six minutes will place it into circular separation orbit.
Once stabilized at 3h 36 min after liftoff, the Galileo dispenser will release the first two satellites, followed by the second pair 20 minutes later.
In the meantime, check out ESA’s new Galileo video.
The Ariane 5 carrying Galileo satellites 23-26 is in place at the ZL3 launch site ready for liftoff. (Photo: ESA)
Ariane 5’s cryogenic main stage is moved into position over the mobile launch table inside the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building. (Photo: Arianespace)
Four more Galileo satellites will be launched on a customized Ariane 5 on July 25.
The next Arianespace rocket to orbit Galileo satellites has begun taking shape at the spaceport in French Guiana, reported Arianespace. Build-up of the heavy-lift vehicle is now underway inside the spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building.
Following the established assembly flow, the rocket build-up began with this week’s positioning of the launch vehicle’s central core cryogenic stage over one of two mobile launch tables used for Ariane 5.
Ariane 5’s two solid propellant boosters are rolled out. (Photos: Arianespace)
It was followed by integration of the two large solid propellant boosters — installed directly on the launch table and mated to the core stage — clearing the way for placement of the upper stage, topped off with the vehicle equipment bay.
Once the Ariane 5’s basic build-up is completed under the direction of production prime contractor ArianeGroup, it will be moved to the spaceport’s Final Assembly Building for installation of its four Galileo FOC (Full Operational Capability) satellite passengers, which are undergoing their own pre-flight preparations at the spaceport.
The Ariane 5 will deploy its satellite passengers at a targeted orbital altitude of 23,222 kilometers in circular medium Earth orbit. The launch is designated Flight VA244 by Arianespace.
Galileo satellites arrive
In early June, Galileo satellites 25 and 26 landed at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, joining their two predecessors, satellites 23 and 24, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).
One of the two Galileo satellites 25 and 26 is unloaded from a Boeing 747 cargo jet at Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport in French Guiana on June 1. The satellites travel inside protective air-conditioned containers. (Photo: ESA)
The pair left Luxembourg Airport on a Boeing 747 cargo jet on the morning of June 1, arriving at Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport in French Guiana that evening.
After they were off-loaded, they were driven by truck to the cleanroom environment of the S1A payload preparation facility at Europe’s Spaceport, still in their protective air-conditioned containers. In the cleanroom, they joined Galileo satellites 23 and 24, which arrived last month.
The cryogenic main stage of the Ariane 5, known as the EPC — from its French title Etage Principal Cryogénique — arrived by sea at French Guiana’s Port Pariacabo on May 30.
A further 12 Galileo “Batch 3” satellites were ordered in 2017, supplementing the 26 built so far to provide further in-orbit spares and replacements for the oldest Galileo satellites, first launched in 2011.
A steady stream of orbital spares, ready to replace satellites reaching the end of their operational lives, is essential to ensure Galileo continues operating seamlessly, according to ESA.
Looking further ahead, with the aim of keeping Galileo services as a permanent part of the European and global landscape, new satellites will be required by the middle of the next decade, offering improved performance and added features.
The next two satellites in Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system have arrived at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, ahead of their planned launch from the jungle space base in July.
Galileo satellites 23 and 24 left Luxembourg Airport on a Boeing 747 cargo jet on the morning of May 4, arriving at Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport in French Guiana that evening.
Arrival at the Felix Eboué airport on April 5, 2018. (Photo: ESA)
They were then unloaded, still in their protective air-conditioned containers, and transported by truck to the cleanroom environment of the preparation building within Europe’s Spaceport.
This pair will be launched along with another two Galileo satellites, which are due to be transported to French Guiana later this month.
The quartet will be launched together on a customized Ariane 5 on July 25.
The Galileo System began Initial Services on Dec. 15, 2016, and a growing number of commercial devices are using Galileo today. Completion of the constellation should improve Galileo’s positioning accuracy further still.
One of two Galileo satellites being driven by truck to the Guiana Space Centre inside its container. Galileo satellites 23 and 24 left Luxembourg Airport on a Boeing 747 cargo jet on the morning of May 4, arriving at Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport in French Guiana that evening. (Photo: ESA)
But Galileo satellites will continue to be launched into the future: a further 12 Galileo “Batch 3” satellites were ordered last June, supplementing the 26 built so far to provide further in-orbit spares, and replacements for the oldest Galileo satellites, first launched in 2011.
A steady stream of orbital spares, ready to replace satellites reaching the end of their operational lives, is essential to ensure Galileo continues operating seamlessly.
Looking further ahead, with the aim of keeping Galileo services as a permanent part of the European and global landscape, replacement satellites will be required by the middle of the next decade, offering improved performance and added features.
Three of the four Galileo satellites 19-22 undergoing fit check with the dispenser that will support them during their Dec. 12 flight into orbit. (Photo: ESA)
Europe’s next four Galileo navigation satellites and the Ariane 5 rocket due to lift them into orbit are being readied for their Dec. 12 launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
On Nov. 21, Galileo satellites 19–22 were declared ready for flight, along with their Ariane. Combined activities are now under way, culminating in the satellites meeting their rocket in the Final Assembly Building.
The satellites were flown in pairs to French Guiana last month. Once safely unboxed in the Spaceport’s cleanroom environment, they were tested to ensure they had suffered no damage during their transatlantic flights.
The four Galileo satellites mounted on top of a customised Ariane 5 rocket inside the aerodynamic fairing. (Image: ESA)
Next came their fit check, when they were mechanically and electrically linked one by one to the dispenser that will carry them during their ascent to the target 23,500 km-altitude orbit, before releasing them into space.
Last Friday saw the satellites filled with enough fuel to fine-tune their orbits and orientation during their projected 12-year working lives. Next, they will be attached to their dispenser together for the final time.
In parallel, their customised Ariane 5 is being assembled. Two solid-propellant boosters were mated with its main cryogenic stage before the addition of the interstage that carries the electronics to control the vehicle.
Next came the addition of the storable propellant stage, powered by a reignitable engine, which will deliver the quartet to their target orbit.
Once fully checked, the Ariane will be moved to the final building for the addition of the satellites atop their dispenser, sealed within their protective fairing.
This launch will bring the total Galileo constellation to 22, boosting the global availability of navigation signals. Galileo began Initial Services just under a year ago, the first step before full operations, on Dec. 15.
Galileo’s Ariane 5’s vehicle equipment bay is lowered for installation within the Final Assembly Building of Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Flight VA240 carrying Galileo satellites 19–22 into orbit is scheduled for Dec. 12. (Photo: ESA)
Europe’s next two Galileo navigation satellites have touched down in Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana ahead of the launch of a quartet by Ariane 5 at the end of this year (scheduled for Dec. 12).
Galileos 19 and 20 left Luxembourg Airport on a Boeing 747 cargo jet on the morning of Sept. 18, arriving at Cayenne — Félix Eboué Airport in French Guiana that evening.
Safely cocooned within protective air-conditioned containers, the pair were offloaded and driven to the cleanroom environment of the preparation building within the space centre.
A Galileo satellite in its protective container is unloaded from its cargo plane after landing in French Guiana Sept. 18. (Photo: ESA)
This building will remain their home as preparations for their launch proceeds, with the next two Galileos due to join them later this month.
The satellites join the first elements of their customised Ariane 5 at the centre — including its cryogenic main stage and half-shell payload fairing — which were delivered by ship the week before.
Galileo is Europe’s own satellite navigation system, providing an array of positioning, navigation and timing services to Europe and the world.
A further eight Galileo “Batch 3” satellites were ordered last June, to supplement the 26 built so far.
A Galileo satellite is driven to the Guiana Space Centre following its arrival on Sept. 18. (Photo: ESA)
With 18 satellites now in orbit, Galileo began initial services on Dec. 15, 2016, the first step towards full operations.
Further launches will continue to build the constellation, which will gradually improve performance and availability worldwide.
Launch poster for the upcoming launch of Adriana and Liene, also known as Galileo 11 and 12.
The two spacecraft for Arianespace’s latest Soyuz launch at the service of Europe’s Galileo satellite-based navigation system — and the company’s record 12th mission overall in 2015 — have been integrated at the French Guiana Spaceport in preparation for their Dec. 17 liftoff.
The launch of Galileo satellites 11 and 12 — dubbed Adriana and Liene — will conclude a year when the number of Galileo satellites in orbit will have doubled.
With this launch, ten years after the launch of GIOVE A, on Dec. 28, 2005, the Galileo constellation will become a reality.
During activity in the Spaceport’s S3B clean-room facility, the spacecraft pair was mated with their dispenser, which will deploy the satellites by firing a pyrotechnic system for separation in opposite directions at the orbital insertion point.
The satellite/dispenser combination is ready for integration on Soyuz launcher’s Fregat upper stage, followed by the payload fairing encapsulation. This will create the “upper composite,” which is to be installed atop Soyuz once the vehicle has been moved to its Spaceport launch site.
Arianespace’s Dec. 17 mission, designated Flight VS13 in the company’s launcher family numbering system, will orbit two Galileo FOC (Full Operational Capability) satellites, further augmenting the European constellation of navigation spacecraft. The satellites are built by prime contractor OHB System in Bremen, Germany, with their onboard payloads supplied by UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), which is 99 percent owned by Airbus Defence & Space.
Galileo 11 and 12 are prepared for launch in the clean room. (Video capture: ESA)
The Galileo system is designed to provide high-quality positioning, navigation and timing services under civilian control. Its Full Operational Capability phase is managed and funded by the European Commission, with the European Space Agency (ESA) delegated as the design and procurement agent on the Commission’s behalf.
Flight VS13 will close out a busy year — complementing the 11 previous missions in 2015, which were composed of two other launches with the medium-lift Soyuz, three using the light-lift Vega and six with the heavy-lift Ariane 5.
Two more full operational capability (FOC) Galileo satellites are scheduled for launch March 27. This video shows the four first-stage boosters of the Soyuz launcher being assembled in Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Assembly takes place on a horizontal basis, in the Russian manner. The video shows four thrusters assembled around the main body. After takeoff, the engines burn for 120 seconds and then are dropped. The thrust is transferred to the main body by a ball joint located above the propeller of the cone-shaped structure.
Galileo satellite being prepared for fit check. This testing, to ensure the seventh and eight Galileo satellites fit onto their dual-launch dispenser took place in mid-February 2015. The dispenser sits atop the Fregat upper stage of their Soyuz ST-B launcher. Photo: European Space Agency
By the European Space Agency
All the elements for this month’s Galileo launch are coming together at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. As the two satellites undergo final testing and preparations, the first part of their Soyuz launcher has also been integrated.
Assembly of the Soyuz ST-B’s first two stages, plus its four first stage boosters, took place at the Spaceport’s Soyuz Launcher Integration Building last week. Assembly takes place on a horizontal basis, in the Russian manner.
The next step will be the addition of the third stage, then the main part of the launcher will be complete, ready to be transported to the Soyuz launch pad and moved to the vertical position.
The final fourth stage of the Soyuz is the reignitable Fregat, which will transport the two satellites to their final 23,222-km altitude medium Earth orbit. This will be attached to the Soyuz on the launch pad, once the satellites, their dispenser and launch fairing have been mounted on it.
Since the seventh and eighth Galileo satellites arrived in French Guiana last month, they have undergone several tests – including one System Compatibility Test Campaign each, where they are linked up to the rest of the global Galileo ground segment as if they are already ‘live’ in orbit.
Assembly of seventh and eighth Galileo satellites’ Soyuz ST-B’s first two stages, plus its four first stage boosters, took place at the Spaceport’s Soyuz Launcher Integration Building in the first week of March 2015. Assembly takes place on a horizontal basis, in the Russian manner. Photo: European Space Agency
The all-important ‘fit check’ was passed in the middle of February. The two satellites were installed separately onto their dual-launch dispenser, to check they fitted correctly.
This dispenser has the task of holding them in place atop the Fregat during the launch and flight to their final orbit, then releasing them. They will be installed together later this month, after the satellites have been fueled.
Last week saw the finalization of their hardware and software, and the charging of their batteries — on which the satellites will be reliant from the short but crucial period from their launch to the unfurling of their solar arrays in orbit.
The pair of satellites is now ready to be transferred to the Spaceport’s S5A fueling facility, where they will receive the fuel to keep them controllable during their 12-year working lives.
After their fueling and final check, the pair of satellites will be in launch configuration. After a final review they will then become available for Arianespace teams to carry out the final preparation, known as Combined Operations, leading to the launch day.
The launch of the seventh and eighth Galileo satellites will take place on Friday, March 27.
Cutaway view of the Soyuz rocket fairing carrying a pair of Galileo satellites. Photo: European Space Agency
