Soyuz On ESA Launchpad The launch will be the first time a Soyuz lifts off outside the confines of the former Soviet Union. ESA/Stephane Corvaja A Soyuz rocket will lift off Friday from the northern coast of French Guiana, carrying two satellites that will formally kick off the European Space Agency’s own version of GPS. It will be the first Soyuz ever to launch outside of the former Soviet Union, and its payload will free Europeans from relying on American navigation tech.
The Soyuz rocket was originally supposed to launch early Thursday, but a fuel valve shut off unexpectedly and ground crews were unable to fill up the rocket. The delay disappointed Russian and European officials who have spent three-quarters of a billion dollars building a new facility for Russian rockets to launch from South America.
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DARPA Plans Lightning-Based GPS for Underground WarfightersTagsTechnology, Rebecca Boyle, esa, gps navigation system, gps satellites, satellites, south america, soyuz launch, soyuz rocketsThe new launch site was designed with the goal of launching humans someday, according to the European Space Agency, which collaborated with Roscosmos to build the facility. The setup includes a launch control center, a pad with a flame trench and an assembly building to shield the rocket and payloads from the rainforest humidity. It’s essentially an Amazonian version of the Baikonur cosmodrome, as the Guardian puts it.
The Soyuz site is located about 8 miles northwest of ESA’s Ariane launch site, which is along the Atlantic coast north of the city of Kourou. The facility is ideal for a satellite launch because it’s so close to the equator, and spacecraft launch toward the water, just like this country’s facilities at Cape Canaveral, Fla. Thanks to equatorial assist, this version of Soyuz, called Soyuz-ST, will be able to heft 3 metric tons into geostationary orbit, compared to the 1.7 tons that can launch from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.
Officials are fixing the valve and are planning to launch early Friday, according to the Guardian.
The two Galileo satellites will mark the formal beginning of Europe’s own global positioning system, which has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. The mission is also a test of the Soyuz as a reliable mid-weight international space transport system, supplementing the European Union’s heavy lifter, Ariane 5, and its featherweight, the Vega rocket.
Once upon a time, this whole deal — a GPS competitor, the construction of a major Russian rocket facility in this hemisphere — would have caused considerable consternation. Apparently American defense officials once threatened to blow up the Galileo satellites, according to the Guardian. But American authorities have calmed down about it. It's cool, all our new spaceplanes will launch from the New Mexico desert, so the Europeans can go ahead and enjoy the rainforest.
Galileo Navigation Satellite: The Galileo navigation satellite constellation will serve as Europe's version of the Global Positioning System network built by the U.S. ESA
[via Guardian]
Previous Article: Germany's ROSAT Satellite Could Come Crashing Down Somewhere On Earth As Soon As FridayNext Article: Foambot Creates Itself Out of Sprayable Foam, Becoming Whatever Robot You Need 12 Comments Link to this comment Raynre 10/20/11 at 10:50 amI'm not sure I understand the logic behind this. Is it that the current GPS system is unreliable? Because I can't imagine that it would actually be cheaper to launch your own fleet of satellites than to just license the current system that we have. If it's for defense purposes then this would imply that the EU are worried about some sort of future conflict with the US?
Link to this comment Capefear 10/20/11 at 11:33 amI imagine this would be a profit center for the Europeans, after absorbing the capitol costs. Also, the U.S. probably restricts the level of accuracy that users are privy to as a security measure. I'm guessing there's big bucks ahead. Personally, I like the redundancy for reliability reasons.
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Q 10/20/11 at 12:03 pm What is the minimum GPS satellite or its completive equal need to make for navigation, 3 or more? If so, that means a lot more launches will come in the future.
Link to this comment suddenmischief 10/20/11 at 12:03 pmI also assume that everyone has to pay to access the GPS tech. If the US were relying on European GPS tech and was shipping a gazillion dollars to Europe, I suspect we'd be doing the same thing.
Link to this comment MrTerence 10/20/11 at 12:46 pmYou need at least 4 satellites in view to determine your position. 3 for space and one for time. Extra satellites to increase accuracy allowing you to cancel atmospheric effects and stuff. I believe gps has 24 orbits but can'r remember how many satellites. (we had to program gps software for a second year project at the university :) )
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Sprite 10/20/11 at 1:32 pm The world is growing further away of depending on the USA space technology prowess.
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Grunt 10/20/11 at 1:43 pm Is there any kind of advantages for launching these satellites into orbit from this location, perhaps being closer to the equator?
Does this location save them in terms of cost and expense in the long run?
Link to this comment pablo_max 10/20/11 at 3:04 pm@Raynre, really? you cannot imagine why the EU would not want to rely on a system totally owned and operated by a foreign nation? A system which the US can, at any time turn off or alter.
It seems clear to me that relying on a US based system is a recipe for disaster for anyone who is not the US.
Q 10/20/11 at 3:23 pm I suppose if any 3rd world countries make arguments of borders, because of GPS readings, the argument that the USA is toying with the GPS system will no longer hold, if there is a second party, verifying the same data. I do not believe the USA is falsifying anything, but it still does not stop others from making that claim. It is redundant GPS data; I do not have a problem with the redundancy. It does add to eventual more space junk in space with too much redundancy.
Link to this comment rpenri 10/20/11 at 5:32 pmOf course the EU wants their own GPS satellites.
The US has complete control over GPS currently. At any time, they can turn off the GPS signal from all the satellites or just a REGION of the world. They can totally handicap a country which relies on GPS for military or domestic uses.
The US usually restricts the highly accurate readings to US military or NATO forces...however, civilians using handheld devices will notice it's not quite as accurate or reliable.
Link to this comment maxb500 10/21/11 at 8:10 amAlso lets not forget all the other advantage people,
-Galileo will have below 1 meter accuracy as a free service (according to scientists quoted at spacedaily). The GPS currently has an accuracy of about 3 meters as a free service (both of them have increased accuracy as the payed version and GPS for it`s military use).
-Galileo will provide more jobs and result in more Tech companies for Europe. Compare it Boeing and then having the Europeans develop Airbus. With the current GPS the US as a true monopoly on this. There are so many navigation chips, navigation services and other uses in the pipeline especially for companies like farmers, automated transport of goods and people etc. that it really is important for Europe to develop this besides being independent and besides not being switched off the free service if the US decides to in a conflict or otherwise. Especially the more accurate payed service could provide an ever greater revenue.
-Galileo will have a 'safety of life' service which will update the user if the information is believed to be inaccurate. This makes it perfect for the further development of satellite navigated planes, automated self driving cars(also requiring that below 1 meter accuracy), Shipping and transportation industries. And the ever greater use of automated farming and many other industries.
-Galileo will have an advanced safety system that can inform people who put out a distress signal that their message is received and help is underway. With GPS you are not informed if anyone had detected your distress call.
Link to this comment D13 10/21/11 at 2:58 pmAnother reason for global government. When Microsoft wanted to launch 300 sattelites into space "Telodesic Program", to give everyone sattelite bandwidth, NASA brought up a little word called "dispersion". Dispersion was what happened when something orbiting the earth at 18,000 mph, hit a sattelite. Of course the debris from one exploded sattelite would then eventually hit the others and a chain reaction would leave a "cloud" of debris rotating around the globe. Rocketships would never be able to leave earth without being destroyed by debris.
So, how many more sattelites go up before our "orbit pollution" is too dangerous? We don't need more communication sattelites. We don't need a new GPS. For every one that goes up, one should come down. Why do we need so many sattelites? Because one country doesnt trust another.
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