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Test satellite for Europe's Galileo system launched BY STEPHEN CLARK SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: December 28, 2005
A European navigation spacecraft was shot into space this morning, signaling the birth of the continent's Galileo satellite system that will give millions of users access to the most precise positioning data on the public market.
Called GIOVE-A, the first of two test platforms for the project was launched by a Soyuz rocket at 0519 GMT (12:19 a.m. EST) from pad six at snowy Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The Fregat upper stage fitted atop the Soyuz three-stage core fired three times to reach a circular orbit -- targeted to be 14,429 miles high with an expected inclination of 56 degrees. The 1,327-pound payload was deployed into space three hours and 42 minutes after liftoff.
An artist's impression of GIOVE A orbiting in space. Credit: ESA
As the first member of the Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element, the
satellite launched today will pave the way for the constellation that
will one day include 30 satellites regularly flying over most parts of
the populated world. The more than $4 billion Galileo system will be operated
by civilians for civilians, a significant change from the other two
heavyweights in space navigation -- the U.S. Global Positioning System and
Russian GLONASS fleet -- both of which are controlled by each nation's
military.
The spacecraft was built by Surrey Space Technology Limited of the United
Kingdom, and will carry out a two-year mission to test the navigation
signals and atomic clock that are at the heart of the Galileo system, and
also to secure frequencies assigned to Europe by the International
Telecommunications Union to avoid possible interference with the radio
waves from the American and Russian systems.
Data from the testbed will also be fed into user receivers to test their
capabilities, while sensors aboard the spacecraft will study the high
radiation environment the fleet will encounter in their orbits around
Earth.
An arrangement of L-band antennas on the Earth-facing panel of the
satellite bus and the signal-generation units comprise the navigation
payload of GIOVE-A. A pair of rubidium atomic clocks works to ensure
precise timing information is relayed to users.
Development of GIOVE-A by Surrey began in July 2003 as the definition
phase of the Galileo program was being concluded by the joint team of
European Space Agency and European Commission officials managing the
project. Teams outlined a space-based navigation system that included a
total of 30 operational satellites spread equally among three orbital
planes that will ensure all parts of the globe inside of 75 degrees North
and South latitude will be adequately covered by the new system.
An artist's concpet depicts the Galileo satellite constellation. Credit: ESA-J. Huart
GIOVE-A will be followed next year by the launch of a second experimental
craft called GIOVE-B, manufactured by the Galileo Industries consortium
made up of Alcatel Space, Alenia Spazio and Astrium. The second satellite
will be able to transmit signals through three channels simultaneously,
while the pioneer of the group has the ability to use two channels at
once.
Next, the first four operational members of the fleet will be put into
space by 2008 to examine the system as a whole group before moving on with
the launch of the final 26 satellites, a process due to be complete by
about 2010.
Although Galileo and the U.S. Global Positioning System have a formal
cooperative agreement to guarantee full compatibility between the two
structures, European officials tout the care taken in the design of
Galileo to cater to private sector that was unavailable in the military
operating scheme the American GPS works in. The European counterpart also
broadcasts signals to higher latitudes than the GPS satellites can
reach.
Despite this competitive rhetoric, it is well understood that the two
groups will offer a similar product, and alternative sources for this
critical information provides both Americans and Europeans with greater
flexibility. Users should be able to obtain signals from both systems with
a single receiver, further exemplifying that the systems are in step with
one another.
The U.S. government pressured European leaders during the early stages of
development of the system due to worries the new satellites would interfere
with frequencies from GPS spacecraft being used by American military
forces. A deal between the United States and the European Union was struck
in 2004, ending the dispute and clearing the final potential hurdle before
full-scale construction and operations could get underway.
The agreement also made the difference between the two fleets almost
non-existent from the eyes of a civilian user.
An artist's impression of GIOVE A orbiting in space. Credit: ESA
Galileo will offer four different types of service packages, including an
open service that is provided at no cost to users, a safety-of-life
service that alerts users when accuracy or integrity is compromised, a
commercial service using encrypted signals, and a public regulated service
that is aimed at government users.
The cutting edge satellites will collectively pinpoint ground receivers
within three feet of their actual location, with some modes able to reach
an unprecedented accuracy of just four inches at times.