LIVE: Soyuz-2-1A launch with six Globalstar 2 satellites - October 19, 2010

[Salo]

Maybe a basic question : someone know the official designation of Fregat upper stage ?? I've not found it on the Internet !

14S44 according to http://www.russianarms.ru/forum/index.php?topic=6337.0

[Salo]

Soyuz-2-1A rocket has departed from TsSKB-Progress to Baikonur on September 7th.

How is it possible ? Pictures took in MIK-40 on 4th september (Progress M-07M launch campaign) show that the Globalstar's launcher was already here.

http://www.federalspace.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=12468

[Salo]

Video:
http://www.tvroscosmos.ru/frm/video/start80.php

[Stan Black]

Soyuz-2-1A rocket has departed from TsSKB-Progress to Baikonur on September 7th.

How is it possible ? Pictures took in MIK-40 on 4th september (Progress M-07M launch campaign) show that the Globalstar's launcher was already here.

http://www.federalspace.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=12468

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=1133.msg626710#msg626710
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=22449.msg632099#msg632099

[Nicolas PILLET]

Thank you for all your quick answers ! :-)

[Space Pete]

GLOBALSTAR ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF SIX NEW SECOND-GENERATION SATELLITES.

New constellation will position the company for growth by restoring industry leading voice and duplex data services while it further expands its award-winning SPOT-branded consumer product line.

Globalstar, Inc., a leading provider of mobile satellite voice and data services to businesses, government, and individuals today announced that six new second-generation Globalstar satellites were successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, using the Soyuz launch vehicle.

The Globalstar satellites were launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, October 19th at 11:11 p.m. local time (5:11 p.m. UTC and 1:11 p.m. EDT), using the Soyuz-Fregat version of the Soyuz launch vehicle.  This is the 1762nd successful launch of the Soyuz family launch vehicle.

Launch services provider Arianespace confirmed that the upper stage accurately injected the six-satellite dispenser into the targeted low earth orbit of approximately 920 km.  Globalstar reports that all six satellites have been successfully acquired following separation of the Fregat Upper Stage and release from the satellite dispenser.  Globalstar has initiated satellite in-orbit testing and the performance of all six spacecraft is nominal at this time.

“After more than four and a half years of concentrated effort we are extremely pleased to announce the successful inaugural launch of our second-generation constellation satellites,” said Tony Navarra, President of Global Operations for Globalstar, Inc.  “It is with great enthusiasm and excitement that we begin initiating our second-generation satellite operations and look forward to the future services the constellation will support.  With all six satellites now safely in orbit we congratulate and applaud all of our Globalstar employees world-wide and thank launch provider Arianespace as well as our satellite contractor Thales Alenia Space for this launch success.”

Peter Dalton, CEO of Globalstar, Inc., added, “Once fully deployed we expect our satellite constellation will reliably provide the world’s finest quality mobile satellite voice and fastest mobile satellite handset data services in the industry.  With a fifteen year design life, the new satellite constellation will secure our space segment beyond 2025.  Combined with our affordable and award-winning suite of consumer retail SPOT products, Globalstar will be positioned to offer the world’s most extensive lineup of high quality mobile satellite services to the broadest range of commercial and retail consumer customers around the globe.”

Globalstar signed a contract with satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space in late 2006 for the design, manufacture and delivery of its second-generation constellation satellites.  A total of four launches of six satellites each will be conducted by launch services provider Arianespace using the highly reliable Soyuz launch vehicle.  Globalstar plans to integrate the 24 new second-generation satellites with the eight first-generation satellites that were launched in 2007, to form a 32 satellite constellation. 

Once the first six new Globalstar satellites become operational, service availability and reliability improvements will benefit those customers who use the Company’s voice and Duplex data services.  With each subsequent launch, these customers can expect a progressive return to the high quality system access and data session performance metrics customers enjoyed before 2007.   

The new satellites are designed to support Globalstar’s current lineup of voice, Duplex and Simplex data products and services including the Company’s lineup of SPOT retail consumer products.  The advanced constellation combined with the Company’s next-generation ground network, expected to be installed by 2012, is also designed to provide Globalstar customers with enhanced future services featuring increased data speeds of up to 256 kbps in a flexible Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) configuration.  Products and services supported are expected to include: push-to-talk and multicasting, advanced messaging capabilities such as multimedia messaging or MMS, geo-location services, multi-band and multi-mode handsets, and data devices with GPS integration.

About Globalstar, Inc.
With over 400,000 subscribers, Globalstar is a leading provider of mobile satellite voice and data services.  Globalstar offers these services to commercial customers and recreational consumers with coverage in more than 120 countries around the world. The Company's products include mobile and fixed satellite telephones, simplex and duplex satellite data modems, the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger™ and flexible airtime service packages. Many land based and maritime industries benefit from Globalstar with increased productivity from remote areas beyond cellular and landline service. Global customer segments include: oil and gas, government, mining, forestry, commercial fishing, utilities, military, transportation, heavy construction, emergency preparedness, and business continuity as well as individual recreational users. Globalstar data solutions are ideal for various asset and personal tracking, data monitoring and SCADA applications.

For more information regarding Globalstar, please visit Globalstar's web site at www.globalstar.com


www.globalstar.com/en/index.php?cid=7010&pressId=633

[Space Pete]

More Details of Yesterday's Launch.

Director General of TsSKB-Progress Rocket Center (Samara) Alexander Kirilin commented yesterday’s launch of 6 Globalstar satellites by Soyuz rocket (Oct. 19, 21.10.59 MSK) for Roscosmos web:
- Soyuz-2.1а launcher presents the first modification of the Soyuz-2 rocket. It is equipped with principally new control system with up-to-date EEE-parts. The system is single for all three stages. In addition, the launcher is featured by digital RF TM-system, upgraded boosters of stages 1 and 2. As a result,  Soyuz-2.1а has lifting capacity 300 kg more than Soyuz-U.
This was the 5th launch of Soyuz-2.1а.
 
Roscosmos PAO.

www.roscosmos.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=10623&lang=en

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Soyuz-2.1A / 6 Globalstar-2 Launch (photos).

www.roscosmos.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=10622&lang=en

[Satori]

Have you guys check the launch video? There are people so close to the pad! Less the 100 meters maybe?

[zaitcev]

It really depends how far the camera was relatively to the objects in the frame. Check this out:
 

[Satori]

If the white buildings we see in front of them are the same buildings we can see on Google Earth in line with the rocket, then they are at around 50 meters from the vehicle.

[lucspace]

The Globalstar footage was shot at some 700 meters from the launch pad; the lady presenter is at the viewing stand of 'Gagarinski start', at 900 meters.

[Nicolas PILLET]

Check this (Soyouz TMA-9) :

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-14/hires/jsc2006e40672.jpg

[Satori]

The Globalstar footage was shot at some 700 meters from the launch pad; the lady presenter is at the viewing stand of 'Gagarinski start', at 900 meters.

The viewing stand of the Gagarinkiy Start is 1,5 km from the launch pad...

[gwiz]

Does anyone know the serial numbers of the six satellites?

Refering to the satellite separation times, Roscosmos is giving the following numbers do the new Globalstar-2 sats: "Отделение космических аппаратов от разгонного блока запланировано на 22.49 (аппараты №№5,6) и 22.51 (для аппаратов №№ 1-4)."

I think this is just an internal number for the launch though. A document on sec.gov with a contract between Globalstar and Thales gives a delivery batch of satellites FM2 to FM8 (with PFM1, presumably the proto-flight-model, delivery in the last batch of satellites in 2013). My guess is that the plan was to launch FM2 to FM7 in this first launch, with FM8 as a spare to swap in if a replacement was needed.

Possibly the FM numbers are just the Thales identification, as Spacetrack has now listed Globalstar identifications in the same sequence as the first generation satellites.  In order from 2010-054A to F these are Globalstar M079, 74, 76, 77, 75 and 73.

[Stan Black]

Soyuz-2-1A rocket delivered for Globalstar in September 2009
http://www.federalspace.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=7545

And it was still there on 10th March 2010
http://www.rian.ru/science/20100310/213354940.html
http://www.federalspace.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=9618

Five Soyuz rockets were at Baikonur cosmodrome on March 30th:
11A511U-FG Yu15000-028 (Soyuz TMA-18)
11A511U-FG B15000-032 (Soyuz TMA-19)
11A511U-FG B15000-033 (Kanopus-V/BelKA-2)
11A511U B15000-118 (Progress M-05M)
11A511U B15000-119 (Progress M-06M)

A Soyuz-2-1A was delivered in September 2010
http://www.federalspace.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=12468

I have seen four Soyuz rockets in a building at site 112 of Baikonur cosmodrome on October 5th:
11A511U-FG B15000-033 (Kanopus-V)
11A511U-FG B15000-034 (Soyuz TMA-20)
11A511U-FG B15000-035 (Soyuz TMA-M)
11A511U I15000-123 (Progress M-08M)

Also, I was told that two Soyuz rockets (probably Soyuz 2-1A for Globalstar-2) are in a building at site 31 and one Soyuz rocket (probably Soyuz-U for Progress M-09M) is temporarily at site 2.

So what happened?

[anik]

So what happened?

Soyuz-2-1A #009 has arrived to Baikonur in September 2010 and was used for Globalstar-2 launch in October 2010, Soyuz-2-1A #008 has arrived in September 2009 and will be used for Globalstar-2 launch in April 2011.

[jcm]

Does anyone know the serial numbers of the six satellites?

Refering to the satellite separation times, Roscosmos is giving the following numbers do the new Globalstar-2 sats: "Отделение космических аппаратов от разгонного блока запланировано на 22.49 (аппараты №№5,6) и 22.51 (для аппаратов №№ 1-4)."

I think this is just an internal number for the launch though. A document on sec.gov with a contract between Globalstar and Thales gives a delivery batch of satellites FM2 to FM8 (with PFM1, presumably the proto-flight-model, delivery in the last batch of satellites in 2013). My guess is that the plan was to launch FM2 to FM7 in this first launch, with FM8 as a spare to swap in if a replacement was needed.

Possibly the FM numbers are just the Thales identification, as Spacetrack has now listed Globalstar identifications in the same sequence as the first generation satellites.  In order from 2010-054A to F these are Globalstar M079, 74, 76, 77, 75 and 73.

Good point - we can expect three different sets of names: manufacturer (Thales), owner/operator (Globalstar) and launch services.