Author Topic: LIVE: Soyuz ST-B Flight VS13 - Galileo FOC FM08 & FM09, December 17, 2015 (Read 37198 times)

beidou · « **on:** 01/21/2015 09:04 pm »

Upon a successful launch for this mission, ESA could declare an IOC (initial operation capability) of Galileo.

dusky · « **Reply #1 on:** 01/22/2015 09:53 am »

Isn't this an Ariane 5 launch?

Quote

ESA ops chief Reiter: 2 Galileo sats to launch ~ March 27 on Euro Soyuz, then 2 more on Sept Soyuz & final in Dec. No 2015 Ariane 5 Galileo.

https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/557835190660526080

Jester · « **Reply #2 on:** 01/22/2015 03:31 pm »

No, currently Soyuz, might change to Ariane, but then not in 2015

beidou · « **Reply #3 on:** 08/27/2015 07:12 pm »

According to the launch kit of VS12, the mission (VS13) is currently on track for a lift-off in December.

Jester · « **Reply #4 on:** 08/28/2015 08:29 am »

Quote from: beidou on 08/27/2015 07:12 pm

According to the launch kit of VS12, the mission (VS13) is currently on track for a lift-off in December.

Already mentioned here

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=6114.msg1417987#msg1417987

and its FM08 and FM09 for VS13

beidou · « **Reply #5 on:** 08/28/2015 11:23 am »

Quote from: Jester on 08/28/2015 08:29 am

and its FM08 and FM09 for VS13

Then where is FM07?

Jester · « **Reply #6 on:** 08/29/2015 10:45 am »

Quote from: beidou on 08/28/2015 11:23 am

Quote from: Jester on 08/28/2015 08:29 am
and its FM08 and FM09 for VS13
Then where is FM07?

In Bremen still, might go onto the first Ariane 5 launch, TBD

beidou · « **Reply #7 on:** 09/11/2015 08:29 pm »

Excerpt from Dr. Langley's post on CANSPACE email list

Quote

The next Galileo launch after this evening's will be in December on a Soyuz launcher when another two satellites will be placed into orbit.

In 2016, there will be one launch but using, for the first time, the Ariane 5 launcher, to place four satellites into orbit.

In 2017, there will be two launches: a Soyuz launch orbiting two satellites, and an Ariane 5 launch, orbiting four satellites.

A 30-satellite constellation will be in place by 2020, following ESA's slogan "30 satellites by 2020," with 10 satellites per plane with each plane having two spare satellites. This should be feasible as two satellites are now being manufactured every three months. Twenty-four satellites is the minimum for Galileo operational capability.

jacqmans · « **Reply #8 on:** 11/03/2015 06:54 am »

Two Galileo satellites arrive in French Guiana for Arianespace’s year-ending Soyuz mission

November 2, 2015 – Soyuz Flight VS13

The satellites for Arianespace’s 12th flight in 2015 – which will close out the company’s record year of launch activity – have arrived in French Guiana with delivery of the latest two European Galileo navigation platforms to be lofted by Soyuz.

These spacecraft landed at Cayenne’s Félix Eboué Airport aboard a chartered freighter jetliner, and were transferred via road to the Spaceport’s S1 payload preparation facility for checkout.

Scheduled for mid-December, the upcoming medium-lift Soyuz mission with its pair of Galileo satellites will conclude Arianespace’s busiest launch activity year ever involving all three members of its launcher family – which also includes the heavy-lift Ariane 5 and lightweight Vega.

The December Soyuz launch is designated Flight VS13, signifying the medium-lift workhorse’s 13th mission from French Guiana since its service entry at the Spaceport in October 2011. To support the growing Galileo constellation, Soyuz is fitted with a vertical dispenser that accommodates the two navigation satellites deployed on each mission.

The European Commission manages and funds Galileo’s current FOC (Full Operational Capability) phase, with the European Space Agency delegated as the design and procurement agent on the Commission’s behalf.

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2015/1360.asp

Lewis007 · « **Reply #9 on:** 11/06/2015 08:16 am »

Opening of shipping containers.
Source (+ more pics): http://www.csgpreparationlancement.com/soyouz/vol-soyouz-13-ouverture-du-conteneur/

Jester · « **Reply #10 on:** 12/03/2015 05:05 pm »

Everything progressing nominally, spacecraft fueling done.

Lewis007 · « **Reply #11 on:** 12/08/2015 08:05 am »

Launch poster/sticker of the Kourou space center

jacqmans · « **Reply #12 on:** 12/08/2015 07:02 pm »

Press Release
N°48-2015

Paris, 8 December 2015

Call for Media: Press briefing on launch of Galileo satellites 11/12

The next two satellites in Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system will be launched together on 17 December, concluding a year that will double the number of Galileo satellites in orbit. Media are invited to take part in an audio briefing on 16 December.

Galileo satellites 11/12 are scheduled to lift off at 11:51 GMT on 17 December (12:51 CET; 08:51 Kourou time) from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on a Soyuz rocket. They are expected to become operational, after initial in-orbit testing, next spring.

This is the sixth Galileo launch overall and the third this year, set to bring the number of satellites in space up to 12.

This launch takes place just 10 days before the 10th anniversary of the liftoff of Europe's very first navigation satellite.

Since the experimental GIOVE-A took off on 27 December 2005, not only has the first third of the Galileo constellation reached orbit, but a network of Galileo ground stations has been built across the globe.

From 2016 onwards, the number of Galileo satellites that can be inserted into orbit with a single launch will double from two to four, when a customised Ariane 5 launcher becomes available along with the Soyuz launcher currently in use.

Prelaunch media briefing

Didier Faivre, ESA's Director of the Galileo Programme and Navigation-related Activities, will hold an audio-only press briefing from Kourou on the state of the Galileo programme on 16 December at 17:00 GMT (18:00 CET; 14:00 Kourou time).

Media interested in joining the briefing should request access information via email to ESA's Media Relations Office at: [email protected] by 14 December 2015 at the latest.

Covering the launch

ESA TV

In cooperation with Arianespace, ESA TV provides broadcasters with free live videostream of the launch. More information at: http://www.esa.int/esatv/Television

Website

ESA's Portal will cover the launch live on www.esa.int, providing the web stream and updates of the launch.

jacqmans · « **Reply #13 on:** 12/08/2015 07:34 pm »

Galileo satellites are integrated for Arianespace’s year-end Soyuz mission

December 8, 2015 – Soyuz Flight VS13

The two spacecraft for Arianespace’s latest Soyuz launch at the service of Europe’s Galileo satellite-based navigation system – and the company’s record 12th mission overall in 2015 – have been integrated at the Spaceport in preparation for their December 17 liftoff from French Guiana.

During activity in the Spaceport’s S3B clean room facility, the spacecraft pair was mated with their dispenser, which will deploy the satellites by firing a pyrotechnic system for separation in opposite directions at the orbital insertion point.

The satellite/dispenser combination is ready for integration on Soyuz launcher’s Fregat upper stage, followed by the payload fairing encapsulation. This will create the “upper composite,” which is to be installed atop Soyuz once the vehicle has been moved to its Spaceport launch site.

Arianespace’s December 17 mission, designated Flight VS13 in the company’s launcher family numbering system, will orbit two Galileo FOC (Full Operational Capability) satellites, further augmenting the European constellation of navigation spacecraft. The satellites are built by prime contractor OHB System in Bremen, Germany, with their onboard payloads supplied by UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), which is 99% owned by Airbus Defence & Space.

The Galileo system is designed to provide high-quality positioning, navigation and timing services under civilian control. Its Full Operational Capability phase is managed and funded by the European Commission, with the European Space Agency (ESA) delegated as the design and procurement agent on the Commission’s behalf.

Flight VS13 will close out a busy year – complementing the 11 previous missions in 2015, which were composed of two other launches with the medium-lift Soyuz, three using the light-lift Vega and six with the heavy-lift Ariane 5.

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2015/1373.asp

jacqmans · « **Reply #14 on:** 12/08/2015 07:37 pm »

http://www.arianespace.com/images/launch-kits/launch-kit-pdf-eng/VS13_Launch-kit_GB.pdf

http://www.arianespace.com/images/launch-kits/launch-kit-pdf-frn/VS13_Launch-kit_FR.pdf

jacqmans · « **Reply #15 on:** 12/10/2015 11:06 am »

Dec 9, 2015

Soyuz Flight VS13: Another mission for Europe and Galileo; 12th and final flight in 2015 for Arianespace

For its 12th flight of the year, and the 13th Soyuz launch overall from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), Arianespace will orbit another pair of satellites for the Galileo constellation.

This mission, conducted for the European Commission under a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), will orbit Galileo FOC (Full Operational Capability) satellites 11 and 12.

After this flight, 12 Galileo satellites will have been deployed by Arianespace. The launch will be from the Soyuz Launch Complex (ELS) in Sinnamary, French Guiana.

Targeted orbit: Medium Earth Orbit, circular – Orbital Plane C
•Altitude: 23,222 km.
•Inclined: 54.946 degrees

Liftoff is scheduled for Thursday, December 17, 2015 at exactly:
•08:51:56 a.m., (local time in French Guiana)
•06:51:56 a.m., (in Washington, D.C.)
•11:51:56 a.m., (UTC)
•12:51:56 p.m., (in Paris)
•14:51:56 p.m., (in Moscow)

The mission (from liftoff to satellite release) will last approximately 3 hours and 48 minutes.

The launcher will be carrying a total payload of 1,603 kg., including 1,434 kg. for the two Galileo satellites.

The Launch Readiness Review (LRR) will take place on Wednesday, December 16, 2015 in French Guiana, to authorize the start of operations for the final countdown.

Galileo, an emblematic European program

Galileo, a new global satellite navigation system, is an emblematic European Union program – lead by its Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROWTH); with ESA assigned the responsibility for design and procurement.

The Galileo FOC (Full Operational Capacity) satellites are built in Europe by OHB System of Bremen, Germany as prime contractor, with all payloads supplied by SSTL (Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.), a British subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space.

To watch a live, high-speed transmission of the launch, go to www.arianespace.com (with commentators in French and English), starting 15 minutes before liftoff. You can also follow the launch live on your iPhone or iPad (via the free Arianespace HD app).

http://www.arianespace.com/press-release/soyuz-flight-vs13-another-mission-for-europe-and-galileo-12th-and-final-flight-in-2015-for-arianespace/