posted 10-19-2011 02:23 PM               

Soyuz ready with Galileo satellites for milestone launch

International space cooperation will be highlighted in a historic event on Oct. 20: the launch of Europe's first Galileo navigation satellites on Russia's first Soyuz rocket to depart from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

Liftoff is scheduled for Thursday, 20 October at 12:34 CEST (10:34 GMT, 07:34 local time, 5:34 a.m. CDT).

The launch will be the first time that Russia's venerable Soyuz vehicle has ascended from European territory, adding a trusted workhorse to Europe's launchers family.

Riding Soyuz will be the first two operational satellites in the Galileo constellation that will provide Europe with an independent global satellite navigation system.

Credit: ESA/S. Corvaja

Above: Soyuz VS01, the first Soyuz flight from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, was transferred to the launch zone on 14 October 2011.

The vehicle was rolled out horizontally on its erector from the preparation building to the launch zone and then raised into the vertical position. The 'Upper Composite,' comprising the Fregat upper stage, payload and fairing, was also transferred and added onto the vehicle from above, completing the very first Soyuz on its launch pad at Europe's Spaceport.

posted 10-19-2011 02:34 PM               

Mission profile

The first Soyuz launch from the Guiana Space Center (CSG) will place the first two satellites in the Galileo constellation into circular orbit at 23,000 km, as part of the IOV (In Orbit Validation) program.

The launcher will be carrying a total payload of 1,580 kg (3,483 lbs), including 1,400 kg (3,086 lbs) for the IOV-1 PFM and FM2 satellites, which will be released into their targeted orbits.

Credit: ESA/D. Ducros

The launch will be from the Soyuz Launch Complex in Sinnamary, French Guiana.

Targeted orbit: circular medium Earth orbit
Altitude: 23,222 km (14,429 miles)
Inclination: 54.7 degrees

Liftoff is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20 at exactly:

07:34:28 am local time
10:34:28 UTC
12:34:28 pm in Paris
06:34:28 am in Washington, DC
03:34:28 pm in Moscow

After liftoff from the Guiana Space Center, the flight of the three lower stages of the Soyuz launch vehicle will last for nine minutes and 20 seconds. At this time, the Soyuz third stage will separate from the nose module, consisting of the Fregat upper stage, the satellite dispenser and two Galileo IOV-1 PFM and FM2 satellites. The three lower Soyuz stages will fall back to Earth.

The Fregat upper stage will then fire its own engine, taking the nose module into a transfer orbit above the Earth. After this first burn, the Fregat will perform a barbecue manoeuvre which lasts for about three hours and 20 minutes.

At the correct point on this orbit, Fregat will fire again, to reach the circular separation orbit. Following orbit. After stabilization the two satellites will be released from the dispenser.

The nominal mission duration (from liftoff to the last spacecraft separation) is three hours, 49 minutes and 27 seconds.

posted 10-20-2011 05:21 AM               

Soyuz-Galileo IOV launch delayed

Following an anomaly detected during fueling of the Soyuz launcher's third stage, the final countdown has been interrupted. Soyuz and its two Galileo IOV satellites, along with the launch facility, have been placed in a safe mode.

A new launch date will be announced later today.

posted 10-20-2011 10:26 AM               

Soyuz' maiden flight from the Spaceport is delayed by a ground support system leak

A ground support system leak during third stage fueling of the Soyuz launcher was the cause of today's delay for this medium-lift vehicle's inaugural flight from French Guiana.

Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said 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 is to be made later today 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.

posted 10-20-2011 03:54 PM               

Soyuz-Galileo IOV-1 launch set for Friday

Following the work performed on the Soyuz launch facility and the associated additional checks, Arianespace has decided to restart the countdown operations for t

The launch of VS01, Soyuz ST-B–Galileo IOV-1. Liftoff of the Soyuz ST-B launcher is now set for Friday, Oct. 21, at exactly 12:30:26 pm CEST (10:30:26 GMT, 5:30:26 a.m. CDT).

posted 10-21-2011 06:07 AM               

Liftoff! Soyuz begins its maiden mission from the Guiana Space Center

The first Soyuz has lifted off from French Guiana, initiating a three hour, 49 minute inaugural flight for Arianespace's medium-lift launch vehicle that will orbit the initial two spacecraft in Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system.

Soyuz departed the spaceport's new ELS launch complex at 07:30:26 a.m. local time [5:30:26 a.m. CDT, 10:30:26 GMT] in French Guiana – a precise liftoff time that enables the pair of Galileo satellites to be injected into their proper orbital plane.

With a total payload performance of 1,580 kg (3,483 lbs) – including 700 kg (1,543 lbs) for each of the Galileo platforms – the Soyuz is to deliver its passengers into a 23,222 km (14,429 miles) circular medium-Earth orbit, inclined 54.7 degrees.

This maiden flight marks Soyuz' introduction into the company's growing launcher family, joining its heavylift Ariane 5 in operations from the spaceport. The two launchers are to be complemented by the lightweight Vega in 2012.

Soyuz is one of the world's most utilized launchers, having ushered in the space age and logging more than 1,777 missions to date from its two other launch bases: Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome.

posted 10-22-2011 06:52 PM               

One Soyuz launcher, two Galileo satellites, three successes for Europe

The first pair of satellites for Europe's Galileo global navigation satellite system has been lofted into orbit by the first Russian Soyuz vehicle ever launched from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana in a milestone mission.

The Soyuz VS01 flight, operated by Arianespace, started with liftoff from the new launch complex in French Guiana at 10:30 GMT (12:30 CEST) on 21 October.

All of the Soyuz stages performed perfectly and the Fregat-MT upper stage released the Galileo satellites into their target orbit at 23 222 km altitude, 3 hours 49 minutes after liftoff.

"This launch represents a lot for Europe: we have placed in orbit the first two satellites of Galileo, a system that will position our continent as a world-class player in the strategic domain of satellite navigation, a domain with huge economic perspectives," said Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director General of ESA.

"Moreover, this historic first launch of a genuine European system like Galileo was performed by the legendary Russian launcher that was used for Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin, a launcher that will, from now on, lift off from Europe's Spaceport.

"These two historical events are also symbols of cooperation: cooperation between ESA and Russia, with a strong essential contribution of France; and cooperation between ESA and the European Union, in a joint initiative with the EU".

"This launch consolidates Europe's pivotal role in space cooperation at the global level.

"All that has been possible thanks to the vision and commitment of ESA member states."

This was also the first Soyuz to be launched from a site outside of Baikonur in Kazakhstan or Plesetsk in Russia.

A new site for Soyuz in French Guiana, operated by Arianespace, adds to the flexibility and competitiveness of Europe's fleet of launchers.

Soyuz is a medium-size vehicle, complementing ESA's launchers: Ariane 5 handles large payloads, and the new Vega, planned to debut in 2012, will lift smaller satellites.

Launching from close to the equator allows the European Soyuz to offer improved performance. From French Guiana, Soyuz can carry up to 3 tonnes into the 'geostationary transfer orbit' typically required by commercial telecommunications satellites, compared to the 1.7 tonnes that can be delivered from Baikonur.

The two Galileo satellites riding the Soyuz are part of the In-Orbit Validation (IOV) phase that will see the Galileo system's space, ground and user segments extensively tested.

The satellites are now being controlled by a joint ESA and CNES French space agency team in Toulouse, France. After these initial operations, they will be handed over to SpaceOpal, a joint company of the DLR German Aerospace Center and Italy's Telespazio, to undergo 90 days of testing before being commissioned for the IOV phase.

The next two Galileo satellites, completing the IOV quartet, are scheduled for launch in summer 2012.