Two satellites of the global European navigation system Galileo successfully entered orbit after the launch of the Soyuz-ST-B carrier rocket from the Kourou cosmodrome in French Guiana. This was announced on Twitter by the head of Arianespace, Stefan Israel.
“The undocking of two Galileo satellites has been confirmed, our passengers have been delivered to the intended orbit,” he wrote.
The launch of the Russian Soyuz-ST-B launch vehicle with the Fregat upper stage and two Galileo satellites took place on December 5 at 03:19 Moscow time. The engines of the upper stage of the Frigate were launched approximately 19 minutes after launch.
The Galileo FOC spacecraft are manufactured by EADS Astrium by order of the European Space Agency. Thus, of the 28 satellites already in orbit, 14 were launched by Soyuz-2 launch vehicles.
As previously told in Roscosmos, next year four more launches of domestic rockets are planned from the South American cosmodrome.