|
|
Related pages
Anatomy of the Soyuz launch complex in Kourou
History of the Soyuz complex in Kourou
|
Above: The launch sequence of the Galileo IOV mission. A Russian Soyuz rocket successfully delivered a pair of European satellites into correct orbit, following its first historic liftoff from a brand-new launch pad in French Guiana. A Soyuz-ST-B vehicle lifted off on Oct. 21, 2011, at 10:30:26 GMT (06:30 EST, 14:30 Moscow Time) Friday, opening a new era in its operations from Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket carried a first pair of four In-Orbit-Validation (IOV) satellites for the European Galileo navigation network. The legendary Russian launch vehicle started its mission after two decades of planning and construction of a brand-new launch complex in South America. The near-equatorial location of the launch facility enables a dramatic increase in the payload mass delivered by a veteran Russian rocket into space, comparing to cargo carried by the same vehicle from similar launch sites in Plesetsk and Baikonur.
Flight profile The Fregat upper stage was scheduled to deploy its two-passenger payload into their final 23,222-kilometer circular orbit with an inclination 54.7 degrees toward the Equator, where they were to function for 12 years. After a liftoff from the Guiana Space Center, the flight of the three lower stages of the Soyuz launch vehicle lasted for 9 minutes and 20 seconds. Then, the Soyuz third stage separated from the nose module, consisting of the Fregat upper stage, the satellite dispenser and two Galileo IOV-1 satellites. The three lower Soyuz stages fell back to Earth. The Fregat upper stage will then fired its own engine, taking the nose module into a transfer orbit above the Earth. After this first burn, the Fregat will perform a so-called barbecue maneuver to slowly spin satellites for even out heating of the satellites in space. It will be followed by the release of the satellites. The Galileo satellites were attached side-by-side to a dispenser developed by RUAG Space Sweden, with a pyrotechnic separation system used to release them in opposite directions three hours, 49 minutes 27 seconds after launch. The first two Galileo IOV satellites, launched in October 2011, were to be followed by two more in 2012. This quartet of 700-kilogram satellites, built by a consortium led by EADS Astrium Germany, was to form the operational nucleus of the full Galileo navigation constellation. Satellites combine the best atomic clock ever flown for navigation – accurate to one second in three million years – with a powerful transmitter to broadcast precise navigation signals. October 20 launch attempt The mission was postponed Thursday morning, Oct. 20, 2011, just three hours before a liftoff scheduled at 07:34:28 local time (10:34 GMT) due to a technical problem during the fueling of the launch vehicle's third stage. The fueling was stopped, when a leak was detected in one of the valves, requiring its replacement. According to Arianespace, the rocket and its two Galileo satellites, along with the launch facility have been placed in a safe mode and a new launch date will be announced later today. It is believed that at least 24 hour delay would be required. On Thursday morning, Arianespace released a statement quoting the company's Chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall as saying that the leak was in a launch pad pneumatic system that activates the pre-planned disconnection of fueling lines to Soyuz’ third stage before the vehicle lifts off. “During the final phase of third stage fueling, there apparently was a change in pressure in this pneumatic system, and we observed the unplanned disconnection of the two connectors that enable the fueling of Soyuz’ third stage with liquid oxygen and kerosene,” Le Gall told reporters during a briefing at the Spaceport’s Jupiter mission control room. “The problem apparently is due to a valve leak in this pneumatic system, and we have taken the decision to empty the launcher and replace the valve.” Le Gall underscored that the identified anomaly is in the ground-based pneumatic system, not on the launch vehicle. Fueling of the Soyuz is performed inside the mobile service gantry, which continues to remain in place on the launch pad. The launcher and its payload of two Galileo IOV (In-Orbit Validation) satellites are in a safe mode, as is the ELS launch site. Le Gall said a decision was to be made later on that day on whether to reschedule the liftoff for tomorrow. “We will confirm this once the valve is replaced; the decision also will take into account the launch team members – who worked all night during the original countdown.” If the launch is approved for tomorrow, the liftoff time would be four minutes earlier – at 7:30 a.m. local time, Arianespace said on October 20, 2011. Mission history In March 2007, the GIOVE-A2 in-orbit validation mission was scheduled to lift off in the second half of 2008 from Baikonur. In January 2010, the mission was promised at the end of 2010. As of March 2010, the launch was delayed to February 2011 as the earliest. In January 2011, the launch was targeted for August 31, 2011, but by mid-March 2011, it slipped to the end of September 2011. By May 2011, the mission was promised in mid-October of that year. On May 23, 2011, the October 20 launch date was announced. Galileo’s second flight model, FM2, touched down in Kourou on Sept. 7, 2011, on an An-124 and the Galileo Protoflight Model followed it seven days later on an Il-76. On Oct. 10, 2011, Arianespace announced that the integration of the Galileo spacecraft on their dispenser occurred in the Spaceport’s S5 payload preparation facility, where these European-built satellites also had been filled with propellant. In parallel, the Soyuz rocket was undergoing final testing inside its MIK launcher integration building, with the final checkout on schedule for an October 14 transfer to the launch pad. The first rocket to fly from Kourou emerged from the assembly building on Oct. 14, 2011, at 07:00 local time, moved to the launch pad and was raised to vertical position. Galileo project After years of debate, European countries agreed to fund the Galileo satellite navigation system, designed to rival and as well as to complement the America's Global Positioning System, GPS, and Russian GLONASS network. On Dec 28, 2005, at 08:19 Moscow Time, the Soyuz-FG rocket with the Fregat upper stage, blasted off from Site 31 in Baikonur Cosmodrome, delivering the GSTB-V/2A satellite for the Galileo global positioning system. The mission, first announced in March 2004, was originally scheduled for Dec. 26, 2005, however it was postponed on the request of the customer.
Galileo launch sequence:
Galileo satellites IOV-1 PFM (Protoflight Model) and FM-2 (second flight model):
A list of launches in the Galileo constellation:
This page is maintained by Anatoly Zak Last update: October 30, 2011 |
Galileo IOV satellites inside the payload section of the Soyuz-ST-B rocket. Credit: ESA
The first Soyuz rocket to fly from a brand-new launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana lifts off with a pair Galileo IOV satellites on Oct. 21, 2011. Credit: ESA and Arianespace
Artist rendering of the Fregat-MT upper stage maneuvering Galileo satellites into final orbit. credit: ESA
Artist rendering of In-Orbit-Validation (IOV) satellites IOV-1 PFM (Protoflight Model) and FM-2 (second flight model) launched on Oct. 21, 2011. credit: ESA
An early mockup of the GSTB V2 satellite designed by EADS Astrium for testing systems of the Galileo constellation. Copyright © 2005 Anatoly Zak
An opertional vesion of the Galileo satellite, as it was envisoned in 2005. On Jan. 26, 2010, Arianespace announced a contract for five Soyuz missions to deliver operational satellites for Europe's Galileo navigation network beginning in 2012. Copyright © 2005 Anatoly Zak
The 2009 depiction of the Galileo satellite proposed by OHB Systems. Copyright © 2009 Anatoly Zak
A model of Galileo satellite displayed at Paris Air and Space Show in June 2011 and in 2009 (top). Copyright © 2011 Anatoly Zak
The most stable space-based atomic clock ever developed for practical operation was reportedly designed for Galileo satellites. Built by Selex, PHM promised outstanding stability for averaging times from 1 to 100,000 seconds, to be used in precise positioning, time keeping and other onboard applications designed to perform in space for not less than 12 years. Copyright © 2010 Anatoly Zak |
|
