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First Galileo Satellite On Orbit To Demonstrate Key Technologies

File image of a Soyuz Fregat launch
Paris, France (ESA) Dec 29, 2005
The first Galileo demonstrator is in orbit, marking the very first step to full operability of Europe's new global navigation satellite system, under a partnership between ESA and the European Commission (EC).

Giove A, the first Galileo in-orbit validation element, was launched today from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, atop a Soyuz-Fregat vehicle operated by Starsem. Following a textbook lift-off at 05:19 UTC (06:19 CET), the Fregat upper stage performed a series of manoeuvres to reach a circular orbit at an altitude of 23 258 km, inclined at 56 degrees to the Equator, before safely deploying the satellite at 09:01:39 UTC (10:01:39 CET).

"Years of fruitful cooperation between ESA and the EC have now provided a new facility in space for improving the life of European citizens on Earth," said ESA Director General Jean Jacques Dordain congratulating ESA and industrial teams on the successful launch.

This 600 kg satellite, built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) of Guildford, in the UK, has a threefold mission. First, it will secure use of the frequencies allocated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for the Galileo system.

Second, it will demonstrate critical technologies for the navigation payload of future operational Galileo satellites. Third, it will characterise the radiation environment of the orbits planned for the Galileo constellation.

Formerly known as GSTB-V2/A (Galileo System Test Bed Version 2), Giove A carries two redundant, small-size rubidium atomic clocks, each with a stability of 10 nanoseconds per day, and two signal generation units, one able to generate a simple Galileo signal and the other, more representative Galileo signals.

These two signals will be broadcast through an L-band phased-array antenna designed to cover all of the visible Earth under the satellite. Two instruments will monitor the types of radiation to which the satellite is exposed during its two year mission.

The satellite is under the control of SSTL's own ground station. All systems are performing well, the solar arrays are deployed and in-orbit checkout of the satellite has begun. Once the payload is activated, the Galileo signals broadcast by Giove A will be carefully analysed by ground stations to make sure they satisfy the criteria of the ITU filings.

First step for Galileo

A second demonstrator satellite, Giove B, built by the European consortium Galileo Industries, is currently being tested and will be launched later. It is due to demonstrate the Passive Hydrogen Maser (PHM), which, with a stability better than 1 nanosecond per day, will be the most accurate atomic clock ever launched into orbit. Two PHMs will be used as primary clocks onboard the operational Galileo satellites, with two rubidium clocks serving as backups.

Subsequently, four operational satellites will be launched to validate the basic Galileo space and related ground segments. Once this In-Orbit Validation (IOV) phase is completed, the remaining satellites will be launched to achieve Full Operational Capability (FOC).

Galileo will be Europe's own global navigation satellite system, providing a highly accurate, guaranteed global positioning service under civilian control. It will be inter-operable with the US Global Positioning System (GPS) and Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System (Glonass), the two other global satellite navigation systems. Galileo will deliver real-time positioning accuracy down to the metric range with unrivaled integrity.

Numerous applications are planned for Galileo, including positioning and derived value-added services for transport by road, rail, air and sea, fisheries and agriculture, oil prospecting, civil protection activities, building, public works and telecommunications.

Europe Opens Up Civil Navigation System With Galileo Satellite
Paris (AFP) Dec 28 -- Europe is counting down to the launch Wednesday of the first test satellite of its Galileo navigation system, designed to rival the reigning US system and put positioning by satellite into civilian hands.

A joint initiative of the European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA), Galileo will both compete with and complement the current US Global Positioning System (GPS), which was originally developed for military targeting and positioning.

The European system was the first to be designed for strictly civilian use and will cost an estimated 3.8 billion euros (4.5 billion dollars).

After more than two years of delays, the Galileo project will finally get off the ground when a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying the test GIOVE-A satellite blasts off from Russia's launch site at Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Lift-off is set for 0519 GMT on Wednesday.

The payload will consist of a British-built 600-kilo (1,320-pound) satellite that will be placed in orbit at 23,000 kilometers (14,500 miles).

"This is an essential step in the Galileo project: going from theory to practice," said Dominique Detain, a spokesman for ESA on the Galileo project.

The GIOVE-A satellite -- the name an acronym for Galileo In Orbit Validation Element but also the Italian name for the planet Jupiter whose moons were discovered by the famous astronomer Galileo -- will test various technologies including an atomic clock that ESA says is the most exact ever sent into space.

With Galileo Europe hopes to gain its independence in the strategic domain of navigating by satellite, which has become indispensable for managing traffic in the air and at sea, and even on the motorways.

The United States and the EU last year reached an accord to adopt common operating standards for the two systems, overcoming American concerns that the Galileo system will compromise the security of GPS, on which the US military is heavily dependent.

Galileo will also be compatible with the Russian GLONASS network, which like the American network is controlled by military operators that cannot guarantee to maintain an uninterrupted service.

According to ESA, Galileo, which will be under civilian control, is designed to deliver real-time positioning accuracy down to the meter (yard) range, which is unprecedented for a publicly available system.

It will guarantee service under all but the most extreme circumstances and will inform users within seconds of a failure of any satellite, which will make it especially valuable where safety is crucial, such as running trains, guiding cars and landing aircraft.

The project's next phase will be the launch of a second GIOVE-B test satellite in 2006, followed with four working satellites by 2008. The ultimate goal remains a constellation of 30 satellites encircling the globe.

The date for opening the network to commercial use has been pushed back two years to 2010.

To help cover the cost of the huge investment, the EU has sought other contributors to the project. To date, agreements have been signed with China and Israel, and negotiations are under way with about a dozen other nations including Ukraine, India and Morocco.

Once in orbit, GIOVE-A will be under the control of the Surrey Satellite Systems operations center in the British city of Guildford.

Source: Agence France-Presse

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GIOVE-A Ready To Join Its Soyuz Launcher
Paris, France (ESA) Dec 27, 2005
With the launch date set for 28 December, work on preparing GIOVE-A for its big day is approaching completion. The satellite and the launcher upper stage that will guide it into its final orbit have now been enclosed in the rocket nose cone. They will soon be moved to the launcher integration facility, where they will be mated with the Soyuz launch vehicle.



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