Cosmic Penguin
Geek Penguin in GTO
Continuing a streak of mass deployments for the late-on-arrival Galileo satellite navigation system for ESA and the European Union, action continues today with another 2 satellites - the 11/12th for Galileo and the 7/8th of the Full Operational Capability (FOC) batch - heading up to 23500 km above our heads on the Soyuz rocket.
After 2 satellites were launched in March and another 2 were launched in September, these 2 will almost boost the constellation to partly operable mode with 12 satellites (while 2 are in wrong orbits and another one suffering from power problems, mitigation has been made and they should be at least somewhat usable). Next year the deployment will switch to a different mode when the Ariane 5 will take over the deployment process, with 3 flights through to 2018 with 4 satellites each to complete "Europe's GPS" in the next few years.
Good luck!
Launch location:
Kourou ELS 5°18'18"N 52°50'02"W
Launch dates and times:
{colsp=7}Launch times (updated)
Time Zone | Australia - Sydney/AEDT | Moscow / MSK/ UTC+3 | CEST/ UTC+1 | Universal / UTC | French Guiana | Washington / EST Launch time: |22:51:56|14:51:56|12:51:56|11:51:56|08:51:56|06:51:56
on: | Dec. 17, 2015 | Dec. 17, 2015 | Dec. 17, 2015 | Dec. 17, 2015 | Dec. 17, 2015 | Dec. 17, 2015
{colsp=7}
Live Coverage
PAYLOADS 1/2
Galileo FOC-7/8 navigation satellites
The Galileo satellite navigation system will consist of a total of 30 spacecraft in three planes in medium Earth orbit, which will each be occupied by nine satellites, and with three spares satellites distributed on the three orbital planes. At an altitude of 23,616 kilometers and an inclination of 56 degrees, the system will provide accurate positioning data to users as far north as 75 degrees longitude.
Although similar in design to the American GPS system and the Russian GLONASS navigation network, Galileo-FOC will be under the control of strictly civilian organizations. Galileo is the first joint program to be shared between the European Space Agency and the European Union.
In January 2010 the consortium consisting of OHB-System GmbH and SSTL was selected to built the first 14 Galileo-FOC (Galileo-Full Operational Capability) satellites of the system. OHB-System will act as prime contractor, build the busses while SSTL will provide the payloads. In January 2012, eight more satellites were ordered.
Characteristics|Values
Orbit| Medium-Earth orbit, altitude 23522 km, inclination 55.040°
Weight at launch|730 kg
Size (with solar wings stowed)|2.5 x 1.2 x 1.1 m
Span (with solar wings deployed)|14.74 m
Available power|1420 watts
Design life|more than 12 years
Prime contractor|OHB-System (platform) / SSTL (assembly and testing)
Navigation payload|
Launch Vehicle:
{colsp=2}Characteristics
|
{colsp=2}
The launch vehicle's reliability standings
According to http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/log2015.html#rate:
Ascent profile
Weather Forecast for Kourou, French Guiana on December 17, 2015 (9 a.m.)
Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then the chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 31C. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 km/h. Chance of rain 100%.
Time|Temps|Dew Point|Relative Humidity|Precip|Snow|Cloud cover|Pressure|Wind|Weather
9 AM|28°C|24°C|82%|68%|0%|75%|1014 hPa|14 km/h ENE|
Thunderstorm
References
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Navigation/The_future_-_Galileo/Launching_Galileo
http://download.esa.int/docs/Galileo_IOV_Launch/FOC_factsheet_20111003.pdf
http://www.arianespace.com
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru
http://www.forum-conquete-spatiale.fr
http://www.spacelaunchreport.com
http://www.samspace.ru
http://www.laspace.ru
http://english.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/zmw:00000.1.81403?
After 2 satellites were launched in March and another 2 were launched in September, these 2 will almost boost the constellation to partly operable mode with 12 satellites (while 2 are in wrong orbits and another one suffering from power problems, mitigation has been made and they should be at least somewhat usable). Next year the deployment will switch to a different mode when the Ariane 5 will take over the deployment process, with 3 flights through to 2018 with 4 satellites each to complete "Europe's GPS" in the next few years.
Good luck!
Launch location:
Kourou ELS 5°18'18"N 52°50'02"W
Launch dates and times:
Time Zone | Australia - Sydney/AEDT | Moscow / MSK/ UTC+3 | CEST/ UTC+1 | Universal / UTC | French Guiana | Washington / EST Launch time: |22:51:56|14:51:56|12:51:56|11:51:56|08:51:56|06:51:56
on: | Dec. 17, 2015 | Dec. 17, 2015 | Dec. 17, 2015 | Dec. 17, 2015 | Dec. 17, 2015 | Dec. 17, 2015
{colsp=7}
[highlight][eventTimer]2015-12-17 11:51:56?before|after;%dd% Days %hh% Hours %mm% Minutes %ss% Seconds %c%[/eventTimer] Galileo FOC-7/8 Launch[/highlight]
Live Coverage
- http://www.arianespace.tv/ - begins 20 minutes before the launch
PAYLOADS 1/2
Galileo FOC-7/8 navigation satellites
The Galileo satellite navigation system will consist of a total of 30 spacecraft in three planes in medium Earth orbit, which will each be occupied by nine satellites, and with three spares satellites distributed on the three orbital planes. At an altitude of 23,616 kilometers and an inclination of 56 degrees, the system will provide accurate positioning data to users as far north as 75 degrees longitude.
Although similar in design to the American GPS system and the Russian GLONASS navigation network, Galileo-FOC will be under the control of strictly civilian organizations. Galileo is the first joint program to be shared between the European Space Agency and the European Union.
In January 2010 the consortium consisting of OHB-System GmbH and SSTL was selected to built the first 14 Galileo-FOC (Galileo-Full Operational Capability) satellites of the system. OHB-System will act as prime contractor, build the busses while SSTL will provide the payloads. In January 2012, eight more satellites were ordered.
Orbit| Medium-Earth orbit, altitude 23522 km, inclination 55.040°
Weight at launch|730 kg
Size (with solar wings stowed)|2.5 x 1.2 x 1.1 m
Span (with solar wings deployed)|14.74 m
Available power|1420 watts
Design life|more than 12 years
Prime contractor|OHB-System (platform) / SSTL (assembly and testing)
Navigation payload|
- Two Passive Hydrogen Maser atomic clocks
- Two Rubidium atomic clocks
- Clock monitoring and control unit
- Navigation signal generator unit (E5, E6, E1 signals)
- L-band antenna for navigation signal transmission
- C-band antenna for up-link signal detection
- Two S-band antennas for telemetry and tele-commands
- Search and rescue antenna
Launch Vehicle:
Soyuz-2.1b
Prime contractor:
|- Samara Space Sentre (Energia Holding enterprise)
GRAU Index:
|- 14A14
Height:
| 51.1 mDiameter:
| max 10.3 mLiftoff mass:
| 313 metric tonnesPayload mass:
| up to 7835 kg (a launch to LEO from Plesetsk)1st stage (boosters B, V, G, D):
|- 4 X RD-107 engines
- Propellants (T-1 Kerosene and LOX)
- Thrust/ISP in vacuum - / 320.2 s
- Thrust/ISP at sea level 85.6 tonnes / 263.3 s
2nd stage (core A):
|- 1 X RD-108 engine
- Propellants (T-1 Kerosene and LOX)
- Thrust/ISP in vacuum 94 tonnes / 320.6 s
- Thrust/ISP at sea level 80.8 tonnes / 257.7 s
3rd stage (block I):
|- 1 X RD-0124 engine
- Propellants (T-1 Kerosene and LOX)
- Thrust/ISP in vacuum 30.00 tonnes / 359 s
Upper Stage:
|
- GRAU Index: -
- Common Name: Fregat (meaning Frigate)
- Designer & Manufacturer: Lavochkin Association (NPO)
- Dimensions: Length 2.4 m, Diameter (max) 3.350 m
- Empty Mass 930 kg
- Propellants 5250 kg max
- Main Engine: 1 X S5.92
- Thrust in vacuum 2.0 tonnes of force (full power)
- Thrust in vacuum 1.4 tonnes of force (small power)
- ISP 333.2 s
Payload Fairing:
|- Diameter 3.7 m
- Length 7.7 m
The launch vehicle's reliability standings
According to http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/log2015.html#rate:
Code:
================================================================
Vehicle Successes/Tries Realzd Pred Consc. Last Dates
Rate Rate* Succes Fail
================================================================
Soyuz 2-1b/Fregat 19 21 .90 .87 5 08/22/14 2006-Ascent profile
Weather Forecast for Kourou, French Guiana on December 17, 2015 (9 a.m.)
Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then the chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 31C. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 km/h. Chance of rain 100%.
9 AM|28°C|24°C|82%|68%|0%|75%|1014 hPa|14 km/h ENE|
References
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Navigation/The_future_-_Galileo/Launching_Galileo
http://download.esa.int/docs/Galileo_IOV_Launch/FOC_factsheet_20111003.pdf
http://www.arianespace.com
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru
http://www.forum-conquete-spatiale.fr
http://www.spacelaunchreport.com
http://www.samspace.ru
http://www.laspace.ru
http://english.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/zmw:00000.1.81403?
