LAUNCHED: Soyuz ST-A Flight VS04 - Pleiades 1B - now December 2, 2012 (02:02UTC)

[Satori]

Congratulations to all concerned!!!

[Rocket Science]

Congrats, well done... Happy hats all around! 

[Artyom.]

My congratulations ! Well done!

[Artyom.]

[Artyom.]

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2012/VS04-success.asp

Soyuz delivers from the Spaceport! Arianespace's medium-lift launcher orbits Pléiades 1B
 

December 1, 2012 – Soyuz Flight VS04
 
The maturity of Arianespace’s Soyuz launch system at French Guiana – and its confirmed role as a full-fledged member of the company’s launcher family – were demonstrated once again by tonight’s successful orbiting of the Pléiades 1B satellite from the Spaceport.
 
During a flight lasting 55 minutes, the Soyuz vehicle deployed its 970-kg. passenger into a targeted circular orbit of 695 km., inclined 98.2 deg., marking the medium-lift vehicle’s fourth mission from French Guiana since its introduction at this near-equatorial launch site in October 2011.
 
Pléiades 1B is a very-high-resolution dual-use satellite designed to provide optical imaging coverage for French and European defense ministries, institutions and civil users.  It joins the twin Pléiades 1A spacecraft that was launched in December 2011 on Arianespace’s second Soyuz mission from the Spaceport.   

Arianespace Chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall noted tonight’s launch was the ninth at French Guiana in 2012 for the company’s launcher family; following the lightweight Vega’s maiden flight in February; medium-lift  missions with Soyuz in October and today; along with heavy-lift Ariane 5 flights in March, May, July, August, September and November.

Le Gall thanked all involved in these successes, including the teams who work at the Spaceport for such an “impressive” year – during which a total of 23 primary and secondary payloads were placed into orbit from French Guiana.
 
The Pléiades 1A and 1B satellites launched by Arianespace create an optical observation system with great agility, a quick-response ground segment and daily revisit capability – offering a new generation of “real-world” satellite Earth imagery at a resolution of 70 cm.  Both Pléiades spacecraft are based on smaller, less expensive and more agile platforms than their predecessors – the highly-successful Spot satellite series that was lofted by Arianespace on its Ariane family launchers beginning in 1986.
 
France’s CNES space agency is prime contractor and architect for the Pléiades system, which is organized as part of a joint effort with Italy – whose Cosmo-Skymed satellite series delivers radar imaging coverage of the Earth. 

Pléiades program participants are the space agencies of France, Austria, Belgium, Spain and Sweden; along with the defense ministries of France, Italy and Spain.
 
The Pléiades 1A and 1B spacecraft were built by EADS’ Astrium division.
 
Arianespace will wrap-up its 2012 launch activity at the Spaceport with a year-ending Ariane 5 mission on December 19 to orbit the Mexsat Bicentenario and Skynet 5D satellites.

[Nicolas PILLET]

According to NPO Lavochkin's press release, it was a Fregat-M... 

03.12.2012
Европейский КА выведен разгонным блоком «Фрегат»

2 декабря 2012 года в 6 часов 2 минуты мск со стартового комплекса Гвианского космического центра (ГКЦ) произведен запуск европейского КА дистанционного зондирования Земли «Плеяды-1Б» ракетой-носителем «Союз-СТ-А» с разгонным блоком «Фрегат-М» №1020.

Это был 36-й запуск РБ «Фрегат». Штатное функционирование РБ «Фрегат» при выведении европейского космического аппарата на целевую орбиту ещё раз показало, что разгонный блок разработки ФГУП «НПО им. С.А. Лавочкина» является одним из самых надежных в мире средств выведения космических аппаратов.

Разгонный блок «Фрегат», разработанный и изготовленный специалистами ФГУП «НПО им. С.А. Лавочкина», предназначен для выведения космических аппаратов различного назначения на орбиты искусственных спутников Земли и на отлётные траектории совместно с ракетами-носителями среднего и тяжелого класса.

Pleiades (Плеяды) – новое семейство космических аппаратов оптического наблюдения сверхвысокого пространственного разрешения, состоящее из двух спутников «Плеяды-1А» и «Плеяды-1Б», первый из которых 17 декабря 2011г. был выведен из ГКЦ ракетой-носителем «Союз-СТ-А» с разгонным блоком «Фрегат» на солнечно-синхронную орбиту высотой 694 км.

Проект «Союз в ГКЦ» осуществляется на основе Межправительственного соглашения между Россией и Францией, подписанного в ноябре 2003 года.

Первый запуск российской ракеты-носителя «Союз-СТ» из Гвианского космического центра был успешно выполнен 21 октября 2011 года. Два КА «Галилео-IOV» М1 были запущены РН «Союз-СТ-Б» с РБ «Фрегат-МТ» №1030.

[ugordan]

For all the history this launch vehicle has, it's nice to finally be able to see some half-decent tracking footage of it in action.

[Nicolas PILLET]

The press release of Orion-KhIT, which provides the two batteries for the Fregat upper stage, also says that it was a Fregat-M...

02.12.12 г. с Гвианского космического центра (Франция) произведён успешный запуск РН «Союз-STA» с РБ «Фрегат-М» со спутником «Pleiades-2». Энергообеспечение РБ «Фрегат-М» осуществлялось батареями 9ER14PS-20 (2 шт.).

http://www.orion-hit.ru/company/news/news_85.html

[gwiz]

There don't seem to be any TLEs on Space Track.  Is this another programme where they are going to withhold the data?

[gosnold]

Yes, the French have an agreement with the US and the TLEs of their military sats are not disclosed (they were for some time, and the French started mentioning that "unexpected satellites" were seen by their tracking radar, and the US withdrew the TLEs.)
Edit:Actually Pleiades being a dual use satellite, the TLEs are available. My bad.

[tlesinsk]

First image by Pléiades 1B:

http://www.astrium-geo.com/en/19-gallery?img=15577

[gwiz]

Actually Pleiades being a dual use satellite, the TLEs are available.

Where?  Space-track still hasn't got them.

[pargoo]

     Link to hi-res launch photos: http://cnes.photonpro.net/cnes/DocVisuCS.do?SearchMode=visu_doc_by_theme&sw0=526&selToStore=2&HistoLabel=VS004+SOYOUZ+ST-A&visuCour=DocPC&searchType=theme

[woods170]

     Link to hi-res launch photos: http://cnes.photonpro.net/cnes/DocVisuCS.do?SearchMode=visu_doc_by_theme&sw0=526&selToStore=2&HistoLabel=VS004+SOYOUZ+ST-A&visuCour=DocPC&searchType=theme

That link only results in connection timeouts.
For those interested: go to http://cnes.photonpro.net/cnes
Then click on "ACTUALITE PRESSE" and then click on "VS004 SOYOUZ ST-A". Presto!

[pargoo]

     Thanks for fixing that.  Dunno why it's timing out...

[Lewis007]

Some videos of various stages of launch processing

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Another launch view angle - this time from TsSKB Progress: