. 24/7 Space News .
ROCKET SCIENCE
Ariane 5 rocket takes off with European GPS satellites
by Staff Writers
Kourou (AFP) Dec 12, 2017


An Ariane 5 rocket put four GPS satellites into orbit on Tuesday for Europe's Galileo navigation project, Arianespace said.

The European space workhorse took off at 1836 GMT and deployed the satellites four hours after launch.

The Galileo programme, when complete, will have 30 satellites in three orbital planes by 2020.

If all goes according to plan the system will be able to pinpoint a location on Earth to within a metre -- compared to several metres for the United States' GPS and the Russian GLONASS systems.

The civilian-controlled Galileo system, seen as strategically important to Europe, went live in December last year, providing initial services with a weak signal, having taken 17 years at more than triple the original budget to get there.

"With this sixth successful launch of an Ariane 5 in 2017, marking the second mission of the year for the benefit of the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA), Arianespace is proud to guarantee Europe reliable and independent access to space," said Stephane Israel, Arianespace's executive chairman.

The satellites launched Tuesday, each one weighing 715 kilogrammes (1,590 pounds), were placed into orbit 23,000 kilometres (14,000 miles) from Earth.

The Galileo programme is funded and owned by the EU.

The European Commission has overall responsibility for the programme, managing and overseeing the implementation of all activities, but the deployment, design and development of the infrastructure is entrusted to the ESA.

The European Commission announced in July that investigators had uncovered the problems behind the failure of atomic clocks onboard satellites already launched as part of the Galileo satnav system.

For months, the ESA had been investigating the reasons behind failing clocks onboard some of the 18 navigation satellites it had already launched for Galileo.

The ESA found after an investigation that its rubidium clocks had a faulty component that could cause a short circuit, according to European sources.

ROCKET SCIENCE
Vega launches Earth observation satellite for Morocco
Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) Nov 09, 2017
Arianespace has launched a Vega rocket to deliver an Earth observation satellite into orbit for the Kingdom of Morocco. Liftoff of Vega's 11th mission from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana came at 01:42 GMT on 8 November (02:42 CET; 22:42 local time on 7 November). With a mass at liftoff of 1110 kg, Mohammed VI-A was manoeuvred into its target Sun-synchronous orbit about 5 ... read more

Related Links
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

ROCKET SCIENCE
Tech titans ramp up tools to win over children

Spaceships and Politics: Sputnik Talks to Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev

Aerospace and Mitchell Institute release new report on policy needs for space operations

UAE launches programme to send astronauts into space

ROCKET SCIENCE
Nozzle Assemblies Complete for Exploration Mission-1 Solid Rocket Boosters

Rocket Lab to launch rocket from New Zealand

SpaceX's Elon Musk to launch his own car into deep space

ISRO eyes one rocket launch a month in 2018

ROCKET SCIENCE
Space program should focus on Mars, says editor of New Space

EU exempts fuel for ExoMars mission from Russian sanctions

NASA's oldest Mars rover survives another harsh winter

Mars Rover Team's Tilted Winter Strategy Works

ROCKET SCIENCE
Nation 'leads world' in remote sensing technology

China plans for nuclear-powered interplanetary capacity by 2040

China plans first sea based launch by 2018

China's reusable spacecraft to be launched in 2020

ROCKET SCIENCE
New business incubators will help space industry grow

mu Space becomes first Thai startup to acquire satellite license

Regulation and compliance for nontraditional space missions

Orbital ATK purchase by Northrop Grumman approved by shareholders

ROCKET SCIENCE
Russia says 'satellite' could have caused radioactive pollution

Army taps Northrop Grumman for new radar risk reduction work

Better mastery of heat flow leads to next-generation thermal cloaks

Nature's toughest substances decoded

ROCKET SCIENCE
Two Super-Earths around red dwarf K2-18

U of T researcher finds Earth-like conditions in little-known exoplanet - and discovers a new planet

A New Spin to Solving Mystery of Stellar Companions

The CHEOPS scientific instrument is complete

ROCKET SCIENCE
New Horizons Corrects Its Course in the Kuiper Belt

Wrapping up 2017 one year out from MU69

Jupiter Blues

Research bolsters possibility of plate tectonics on Europa









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.