SpaceX is scheduled to launch Galileo L13 (FOC FM26 & FM32) to Medium Earth Orbit, on Sunday, September 15th, at 3:57 PM – 4:39 PM PDT from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The launch is of two satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation system. Originally planned for launch on Soyuz-ST and then Ariane 6 but both were unavailable.
Galileo provides Europe with an alternative to the American GPS and Russian GLONASS constellations, but will be interoperable with both systems.
Three months after their launch from Cape Canaveral, Galileo satellites 29 and 30 have reached their target positions at an altitude of 23 222 km, where they have been fully tested and declared operational.
Galileo is Europe’s own global navigation satellite system, providing a highly accurate, guaranteed global positioning service under civilian control. Currently providing Initial Services, Galileo is interoperable with GPS and Glonass, the US and Russian global satellite navigation systems. By offering dual frequencies as standard, Galileo can deliver real-time positioning accuracy down to the metre range.
Galileo services The current Galileo system consists of 28 satellites in all. All but two of these are positioned in three circular Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) planes at 23 222 km altitude above the Earth, and at an inclination of the orbital planes of 56 degrees to the equator. The remaining pair were placed in incorrect orbits by a Soyuz launcher error, and are currently employed for search and rescue but not as operational members of the constellation.
Initial services became available on 15 December 2016. Then as the constellation is built-up beyond that, new services will be tested and made available.
Galileo navigation signals provide good coverage even at latitudes up to 75 degrees north, which corresponds to Norway’s North Cape – the most northerly tip of Europe – and beyond. The large number of satellites together with the carefully-optimised constellation design, plus the planned availability of three active spare satellites per orbital plane, should ensure that the loss of one satellite should have no discernible effect on the user.
Ground infrastructure Two Galileo Control Centres (GCCs) have been implemented on European ground to provide for the control of the satellites and to perform the navigation mission management. The data provided by a global network of Galileo Sensor Stations (GSSs) are sent to the Galileo Control Centres through a redundant communications network. The GCCs use the data from the Sensor Stations to compute the integrity information and to synchronise the time signal of all satellites with the ground station clocks. The exchange of the data between the Control Centres and the satellites is performed through up-link stations.
As a further feature, Galileo is providing a global Search and Rescue (SAR) function, based on the operational Cospas-Sarsat system. Satellites are therefore equipped with a transponder, which is able to transfer the distress signals from the user transmitters to regional rescue co-ordination centres, which will then initiate the rescue operation.
At the same time, the system will send a response signal to the user, informing him that his situation has been detected and that help is on the way. This latter feature is new and is considered a major upgrade compared to the existing system, which does not provide user feedback.
SpaceX to launch Galileo L13, Europe’s alternative to American GPS
SpaceX is scheduled to launch Galileo L13 (FOC FM26 & FM32) to Medium Earth Orbit, on Sunday, September 15th, at 3:57 PM – 4:39 PM PDT from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The launch is of two satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation system. Originally planned for launch on Soyuz-ST and then Ariane 6 but both were unavailable.
Galileo provides Europe with an alternative to the American GPS and Russian GLONASS constellations, but will be interoperable with both systems.
New Galileo satellites operational after successful on-orbit testing
Galileo satellites on-orbit, image courtesy of ESA.
The two new Galileo satellites launched in April have entered service, completing the second of three constellation planes.
With every addition to the constellation, the precision, availability and robustness of the Galileo signal is improved. The next launch is planned in the coming weeks and the remaining six Galileo First Generation satellites will join the constellation in the next years.
Three months after their launch from Cape Canaveral, Galileo satellites 29 and 30 have reached their target positions at an altitude of 23 222 km, where they have been fully tested and declared operational.
Both satellites have been deployed on the same orbital plane, one of the three that make up the Galileo constellation. Now two of the three Galileo orbital planes are fully populated, bringing the constellation one launch away from completion. The next couple of Galileo satellites are planned to launch in the coming weeks from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida onboard a Falcon 9.
The two new satellites are active and providing navigation signals to users. Their addition to the constellation slightly increases the accuracy of the system and further guarantees the availability and robustness of Galileo signals.
To know more about the Galileo constellation status, consult the European GNSS Service Center.
The satellites were launched on April 28 by SpaceX under contract with ESA. A Falcon 9 rocket injected the Galileo satellites into MEO, not far from their final position. During the first hours after launch, the Mission Control Team made sure that the satellites had successfully completed the initialization sequence, that the solar arrays were correctly deployed and able to generate power and that the network of ground stations could track and control them correctly.
Early operations were executed by the Galileo Service Operator, supported by a team of around 30 satellite experts from ESA and satellite manufacturer OHB on site at the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, under the responsibility of EUSPA.
The drift phase then started, with teams on ground guiding manoeuvres to bring the satellites to their final positions, reached on 24 June.
Over the last months, every component on the satellites has been tested to make sure nothing was damaged by the severe launch conditions. Both platform and payload, including antennas and clocks, have been examined.
On August 21st, ESA, OHB and payload manufacturer SSTL assessed the on-orbit test results and concluded that the satellites had not suffered any degradation during launch. ESA, in collaboration with EUSPA, validated the satellites’ performance at system level. In light of these results, the Security Accreditation Board has given the green light for both satellites to begin nominal operations.
This success is a result of the joint efforts of ESA, EUSPA, the European Commission, manufacturer OHB, payload manufacturer SSTL teams at Galileo Control Centers and the Security Accreditation Board.
Galileo is currently the world’s most precise satellite navigation system, serving over four billion smartphone users around the globe since entering Open Service in 2017. All smartphones sold in the European Single Market are now guaranteed Galileo-enabled. In addition, Galileo is making a difference across the fields of rail, maritime, agriculture, financial timing services and rescue operations.
A flagship program of the European Union (EU), Galileo is managed and funded by the European Commission. Since its inception, ESA, as system development prime and design authority, leads the design, development and qualification of the space and ground systems, and procures launch services. ESA is also entrusted with research and development activities for the future of Galileo within the EU programme Horizon Europe.
The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) acts as the system prime for the operational system provider, ensuring exploitation and safe and secure delivery of services while overseeing market demands and application needs.
For more info about Galileo, access this direct link…